Memoirs of a Maid
by animechick247
Summary: He was a demon butler, sworn by an oath. She was an enchanted maid, bound by a promise to a fallen friend. Join us as we wathced these two lonely souls try to find their happy ending.
1. Prolog

Prolog

**A/N: Hey everyone! For those of you who've read my other fanfics, I've decided to start another one. (Mainly because I'm on writers block with my other stories and due to the fact that I'm just downright crazy) Since I've fallen in love with the Black Butler series, I've decided to give it a shot and write a Fanfic about it! Hopefully, I follow the story line perfectly and keep everyone in character. **

**So, without further ado, I give you Memoirs of Maid!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Black Butler because if I did, Sebastian would be all mine! I do however, own my oc's.**

**WARNING!: Beware of sucky intro! They are my downfall. Not to mention they tend to be really short.**

**ENJOY!**

/

_For those of you who love the usual romantic stories of a man and a woman falling love, then I'm afraid you've picked the wrong Fanfic._

_The tale that you're about to be told is the tragic story of a demon butler that was bound by oath to a young boy and a young enchanted maid bound by a promise to a fallen friend._

_Join us, as we unravel the mysterious tale of two unfortunate, lonely souls as they try to find their inner happiness._

_Will they have a happily ever after, or will it crumble to dust?_

_Only time will tell._

/

**A/N: Once again, I apologize for the crappy intro. Even writers like me suffer the wrath of the intros. **

**I'll have the first actual chapter up real soon, so if you find it in your hearts to send a review, that would really help me out. (Plus, it will pull the knife out of my back)**

**Please tell me what you think!**

**Ja ne!**


	2. In the Morning

Chapter 1: In the morning

**A/N: I'm surprised that I got a few reviews in the last chapter. That means a lot to me, so to show you my thanks; I'll post the first chapter to this story. Sorry if it sucks, but hopefully it'll be to your liking.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Black Butler; I just own my oc's.**

**Enjoy!**

/

In mist covered forest not far from Kyoto, there lies a manor.

The distinguished noble family of Jushinto's morning starts off with morning tea.

/

A young maid slowly slipped into her master's chambers to wake her up.

She knelt next to the bed and gently shook the young girl who was sleeping within it.

"Lady Rioko, it's time to get up" she whispered.

The young girl groaned and turned over in her sleep.

The maid chuckled slightly.

"Always a morning person" she said.

She stood up and pushed one of the screen doors to let some light in.

Rioko covered her face with her arm.

"Five more minutes, Sayuri" she groaned.

Sayuri just smiled softly.

"I'm sorry, my lady. But you have a very busy schedule today" she said.

"And I'm sure you don't want a lecture from Aki for missing out on your lessons again"

Rioko just sighed and sat up from her bed.

Her messy brown hair covered her bright brown eyes.

Despite being only 14 years old, she was the head to the Jushinto family.

The Jushinto family was known for having various tea houses throughout Kyoto. They were known for making the best tea and held various events within their tea houses.

Sayuri went over to her mistress and helped her get ready for the day by helping her put on her kimono and fixing her hair.

"So what do I have planed today?" Rioko asked as she looked at herself in the mirror.

Sayuri pulled part of her hair back and placed it in a clip.

"First, you have to go over the order forms that the tea houses sent you. Then you have calligraphy lessons followed by flower arranging. Then you have your lessons with Aki and to top it all off you have dinner with your grandfather"

Rioko sighed and placed her head in her hand.

"Terrific" she said sarcastically.

Sayuri giggled.

"Relax, my lady" she said.

"It's not as bad as it sounds. Why, I'm sure you'll be done with everything before lunch"

Rioko rolled her eyes.

"You always say that when I have a busy schedule" she pointed out.

Sayuri smiled sheepishly.

"At least I try" she said.

Rioko just chuckled before looking at her maid.

"I know. But I appreciate it" she said.

She stood up from her vanity and started to head for the door.

"I might as well get this over and done with" she said.

"I'm sure you have tons of things to do too"

Sayuri nodded.

"That I do, my lady" she said.

"If you'll excuse me, I should be going now"

Rioko nodded and left to go finish her schedule.

When she left, Sayuri went about fixing her mistresses room properly.

Unlike the other servants that served the Junshinto, Sayuri was Lady Rioko's head maid.

She was the only one that the young family head would allow to serve her.

She wore the standardized maids outfit that consisted a powder blue kimono, that made her blue eyes seem to pop out.

Her black hair was pulled back into a twist so that it wouldn't get in her face while she worked.

When she finished making Rioko's bed, she left the room to go tend to her other chores.

/

Being the head maid to Lady Rioko meant a lot of responsibilities.

You had to know what she liked to have with her breakfast and what tea to serve it with.

You had to make sure that she went to her studies and helped her with the order forms for teas shipment.

And most important, you had to make sure that she was safe at all times.

Being the head of one of the biggest tea industries meant you were a huge target. Since the tea industries made a lot of money, there were some family members who would want to get their grubby hands on it, and were willing to kill just to obtain it.

Yes, the Junshinto family had the highest security, but their skills paled in comparison to Sayuri's.

You could say that she was one of kind maid.

She had been serving Rioko since the day she was born, and since then, she never let anyone touch a single strand of her hair.

Anyone who did so were never heard of again.

/

Sayuri hummed as she made Rioko's breakfast for the day.

Today's dish consisted a rice omelet with Miso soup and green tea.

After she finished pouring the tea into the cup, she picked up the tray and brought it to the drawing room where Rioko was bound to be.

And sure enough, the young head sat behind her desk while going over the latest shipment of tea.

Rioko growled as she scribbled some numbers down.

"Seriously. Does England really need this much of Earl Grey?" she asked herself.

"They're sucking me dry of this type"

Sayuri gave her a small smile while she placed Rioko's tea down.

"That may be true" she said.

"But it just shows just how popular it is"

Rioko just grumbled and slammed her pen down.

"I should charge extra for that brand" she said.

"Don't they realize just how expensive it is to grow tea leaves and having them dry out for grinding? I swear, all they ever think about is getting drunk on the stuff"

Sayuri gave her a scolding look.

"Now, Lady Rioko. I know you don't like filling paper work, but there's no need to ne snippy about it" she said.

"As head of the Jushinto family, you have to approach everything in a reasonable manner"

Rioko sighed and sipped her tea.

"Yes, Sayuri" she mumbled.

Since she was raised by her maid all her life, that meant Sayuri had the privilege to scold her when she was out of line. If it had been any other servant, then they would suffer serious consequences.

Rioko placed her empty tea cup on the table and went back to the shipment forms.

"I guess there's one advantage of having such troublesome customers" she said.

Sayuri tilted her head.

"Oh really? And what would that be?"

An evil glint sparkled in Rioko's eyes.

"More cash"

Sayuri sighed and gave her a mistress a weak smile.

"The downside to business" she muttered.

Rioko just snickered.

"Oi!"

The door to the drawing room slammed opened to reveal a rugged woman.

She was tall for a woman standing at 6'3". She had orange messy hair that gave her a boyish look and had bright amber eyes.

The woman wore tight fitting britches with knee high boots covering them. Her loose fitting shirt was tucked into her pants in a messy sort of manner.

And to top it all off, the cigarette that dangled from her scowling mouth gave her a menacing appearance.

Sayuri sweat drooped when she saw the woman.

"Hello, Onee-chan"

Oh, and she just so happened to by Sayuri's older sister.

Rioko groaned when she looked at her trainer.

"What brings you here, Aki?" she asked.

Aki was Rioko's bodyguard and instructor when it came to weapons. She taught the young mistress everything from archery to sword fighting. She said that being the head of a prestigious family meant she had to watch her back.

Aki pulled out a match from her sleeve and struck it. When she lit up the cigarette that was in her mouth, she gave her pupil a hard stare.

"Is your clock broken by some chance, Rioko?" she asked.

Another thing about Aki was that she tended to be improper. She always referred to Rioko by her name and never used the 'lady' crap.

A tick mark appeared on Rioko's forehead.

"No, why?" she asked.

Aki let out a stream of smoke from her mouth.

"Then can you explain to me why you're 15 minutes late from your practice?" she asked.

"You should know by now how I get when I have to wait on people. The longer I wait, the shorter my temper gets"

Rioko gripped the pen that was in her hand tightly.

Aki and Rioko were known to butt heads with each other on a daily basis. You couldn't start the day without them bickering at each other.

"Well excuse me for taking care of business manners and not having them fit into your schedule" Rioko said.

Aki just gave her a look.

"Don't get cheeky with me" she said.

"I don't have to train you anything. I could let you be a poor defenseless girl who can't save herself in a serious situation. But since I actually care for your well being, I take it upon myself to train you when I already have a very busy schedule myself"

Sayuri sighed wearily.

"Here we go again" she muttered.

Whenever Aki and Rioko bickered, Aki always pulled out the 'I do this for you' card and reminds Rioko of just how 'selfish' she can be.

Rioko growled and slammed her pen down on her desk.

"Fine. You want to play this game, then you win" she said.

She got up from her seat and stomped over to Aki.

"Let's get my training over with so you can stop your bitching"

Sayuri glared at Rioko.

"Language" she said.

Aki waved her sister off.

"Please. Fucking mouth is a lot cleaner than the shitty ones I've heard"

Sayuri's mouth hung open for a moment before she promptly closed it.

"Now I know where she's learned to curse" she said.

Aki just laughed at her sister.

"You're too modest, Sayuri" she said.

Sayuri gave Aki a firm stare.

"Someone has to be proper for Lady Rioko" she said.

"If she's head of the family, then that means she needs to learn how to be a proper lady. How else will she do business with her clients?"

Aki shrugged and took a drag from her cigarette.

"I don't know. Scare the shit out of them until they cave in?"

Sayuri's eyebrow twitched at that.

Rioko giggled.

"Come on, Aki. Let's go before Sayuri tears your head off"

Aki just shrugged and walked out of the room.

"Yeah, yeah" she said.

Rioko soon followed after her, leaving Sayuri to clean up her mess.

The young maid sighed when she saw the mess that was Rioko's desk.

"My work is never done" she said.

She picked up the empty dishes and placed them on the tray before she started organizing all of the papers that were everywhere.

She placed the completed forms in one pile and the empty ones in another.

As she was sorting through them, she pumped into a small pile of mail that hadn't been open yet and had it fall to the floor.

"Oh dear"

Sayuri knelt down and gather up the envelopes in a neat pile.

She when to place them back on the desk when she caught sight of the letter that stood at the top of the pile.

It was from one of their clients in England that read 'Ciel Phantomhive' on the front.

The Phantomhive insignia was stamped underneath the address and was dated from three weeks ago.

Sayuri sighed in annoyance.

It seemed that Rioko was neglecting to answer her mail again.

Sighing in annoyance, she tucked the letter into the obi of her kimono and stood up.

"I'll talk to her about this later" she muttered.

She organized the drawing room before she left to take care of her evening chores and prepare dinner.

/

Like any head maid, Sayuri held a very busy schedule.

After she feed Rioko for the day, she had to take care of the laundry, fix the beds, tend to the main rooms, sort through the mail, reorganize the library, prepare dinner and then sent Rioko to bed before retiring for the night.

It was a lot to accomplish in one day, but with years of experience, she was a master of preparation.

She wasn't the head maid for nothing.

As she hung up the laundry to dry out, she watched the other residents of the Jushinto family going out and about.

Since Rioko's parents died when she was just an infant, the only family members that were left in the family, was her grandfather and a few aunts and uncles.

Rioko's grandfather was the only one who actually lived in the main house. Since Rioko was still young, he took care of the more serious parts of the tea shipping industries and went to check on the status of the tea houses that they owned.

It was nice to know that there was someone in the family who wanted to help Rioko and wasn't just after her fortune.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard something crash within the kitchen.

"That can't be good"

Quickly running inside, she entered the kitchen to see it in shambles.

Food splattered the walls while their finest china was on the ground in shambles.

Sayuri saw a couple of the lower maids trembling with fear. They knew that Sayuri could be calm as a cucumber, but when something got broken or was out of schedule, then all hell broke loose.

"What happened here?" she asked.

One of the maids fiddled with her fingers as she looked at Sayuri.

"W-well, w-we wanted to make a special dinner for Lady Rioko and it just turned into a complete mess"

Sayuri sighed.

This is why she didn't let the lower maids come into the kitchen. They tried to make a fancy meal and they just ended up ruining the whole kitchen.

The maids quickly fell to the floor and bowed to her.

"We're so sorry, Sayuri-sama!" they cried.

Sayuri looked at the maids and just shook her head.

Even though she was not pleased with the outcome of tonight's dinner preparations, she couldn't be mad at them. She was simply touched that they cared enough of her mistress that they were willing to make dinner for her, even though they really didn't know how to cook.

She knelt in front of them and smiled softly.

"Don't grovel at the ground" she said.

The maids looked up at her to see her smiling at them.

"Accidents happen all the time" The head maid said.

"I'm touched that you wanted to make Rioko a nice dinner. But please let me know if you're going to use the kitchen. I don't want to clean up an unexpected mess"

She gracefully stood up and smoothed out her kimono.

"I'll make a deal with you" she said to them.

"If you take care of the laundry that I have drying out, I'll clean up this mess and prepare Rioko's dinner"

The maids looked at each other for a moment before looking at their superior.

"But Sayuri-sama, this will take hours to clean up" One maid said.

"And it's almost time for dinner"

Sayuri just gave them a pleasant smile.

"Don't worry about that" she said.

"You have to face various tasks when your head maid. This is nothing for me"

The maids just fiddled with their uniforms.

"B-but"

Sayuri just shooed them away.

"I have it all under control" she said.

"Now go take care of the laundry before it blows away. You don't want to lose Lady Rioko's outfits, now do you?"

The set the maids off.

"O-of course not!" they cried.

"We'll go take care of them right away!"

They quickly ran out of the kitchen to go take care of the laundry.

Sayuri just had small smile on her face.

"At least I have one less task to take care of" she said.

She looked back at the kitchen with the frown.

"But now I have to take care of this"

She closed her eyes for a moment before they snapped open to reveal gold orbs instead of blue.

"Now let's get started"

/

_Dinner time_

Aki's stomach growled in protest as she waited for her dinner.

A tick mark appeared on Rioko's forehead as she looked at her bodyguard.

"Damn it, Aki! Keep your stomach quiet. You're just making me even hungrier"

Aki just glared at Rioko and stuck a cigarette.

"I can't make my stomach any quieter than yours, brat" she said.

She lit up the stick of tobacco and blew out a ring of smoke.

"Sayuri better not make us wait any longer, or she's going to have a very pissed of sister"

"You're always pissed off" Rioko said.

"The only time I ever see you happy is when your drunk off your ass"

Aki chewed on the end of her cigarette as she growled.

Rioko just taunted her by sticking her tongue out.

Aki grabbed the chopsticks that were in front of her and gripped them tightly.

"Why don't I rip that tongue of yours right out of your mouth?" she threatened.

Before she could do anything, Sayuri came into the room with a large tray of food.

"Sorry for the wait" she said.

"Dinner is ready"

Aki calmed down and placed her chopsticks back on the table.

"About time" she said.

Sayuri laughed weakly.

"Sorry about that. The maids wanted to make Rioko's dinner and they made a mess of the kitchen. I had to clean everything up before fixing dinner"

Aki just snorted and stuffed her face the rice that was offered to her.

"They always make a mess of the place" she said in between mouthfuls.

"They make more trouble than they do with helping out"

Sayuri sighed at her sister's lack of table manners.

It seemed she acted more like a boy than she did as a girl.

Rioko sighed as she sipped on her miso soup.

"At least they tried to help" she said.

"But it just means more work for everyone"

Sayuri suddenly recalled the letter that was sent from Phantomhive.

"Speaking of work"

She pulled it out and placed it in front of her mistress.

"Someone has been slacking off on their mail"

Rioko made a face when she saw who it was from.

"Just what does he want now?"

Ciel Phantomhive was one of her highest paying customers, but he could be such a pain.

Rioko had never met him, but she already labeled him as a pain. He always demanded large shipments of her Earl Grey tea and made specific dates as to when to ship them off.

Ripping the envelope open, the young family head read the contents of the letter.

When she finished reading it, she crumbled it in her hand and growled.

"What's wrong?" Sayuri asked.

Rioko slammed her first of the table.

"That brat!" she spat.

"He's demanding 24 shipments of Earl Grey and wanting them within a week's time!"

Aki had her chopsticks dangling from her mouth as she looked at her mistress.

"He still hasn't paid for his last shipment either" she pointed out.

"And that was like, what? Three months ago?"

Rioko growled and stood up from her seat.

"If he expects me to ship him his order without paying me for the last one, then he must be out of his mind"

She stormed out of the dining room, leaving her two servants behind.

"Where are you going?" Sayuri asked.

Rioko gave her maid a determined look.

"Going to write a letter" she said.

"If he thinks I'm going to give him what he wants without being paid, then he has another thing coming. Just because I'm 14 and head of the family doesn't mean he can step over me. I'm going set him straight"

With that, she stormed to her office.

Aki twirled her chopsticks between her fingers as she looked at her sister.

"She's quiet the spitfire, isn't she?"

Sayuri nodded and went to cleaning up their meal.

"She acts just like her mom" she said quietly.

Aki ran a hand through her messy orange hair.

"Let's hope she doesn't end up like her"

When she saw the pained look on Sayuri's face, she instantly regretted her words.

"Sorry Sayuri"

The young maid gave her sister a weak smile.

"Don't be" she said.

"You were just voicing your opinion"

She picked up the tray of food and quickly headed for the kitchen.

Aki sighed as she set her hand down.

"14 years and she still can't get over it" she muttered.

She watched as her nails go from normal to becoming claws.

"Humans are rather bizarre characters"

/

_10 P.M._

Rioko sighed as her head hit the pillows.

"How do people deal with this kind of business stress?" she asked.

Sayuri pulled the covers over Rioko and tucked her in.

"I don't know" she said.

"I guess it comes naturally to them. Sometime they can deal with it well and sometimes they don't. it just depends what business they're in"

Rioko sighed and covered her face with her arm.

"I'll have gray hair before I turn 20" she said.

Sayuri giggled.

"Or you might not have any at all" she said.

Rioko lowered her arm to look at her.

"Not funny" she said.

Sayuri just chuckled as she made sure her mistress was tucked in.

"My apologies, my lady" she said.

She stood up and picked up the candle that was on the nightstand.

"Sleep well, my lady" she said.

She started walking towards the door.

"Sayuri"

The maid turned around to look at her mistress.

"Yes?"

Rioko blushed slightly.

"Thanks for taking care of me"

Sayuri smiled softly.

Every night, Rioko would say this to her. It was her way of showing her appreciation for being taken care of for the past 14 years.

Sayuri bowed to her mistress.

"You're welcome, my lady"

She blew out the candle and departed for her own room.

/

Aki let out a loud yawn as she headed for her bed.

"Man. Rioko may not look like it, but she is one touch cookie" she said.

"With the way that she handles herself, I don't think she'll be needing a bodyguard for very long"

She looked over to where Sayuri was sitting and saw her writing something in a journal.

Before Sayuri and herself came to the Jushino family, Sayuri lost her memories from an accident. She was able to regain bits and pieces of them through her dreams, so she wrote them down as a reminder.

Aki did her best to help her remember, but there was only so much she could do.

"Did you remember something?"

Sayuri nodded when she placed her pen down.

"Yes. But it's still blurry" she said.

"I still can't make out the faces"

Aki sighed and flopped down on her bed.

"You'll remember soon enough" she said.

"It just takes time"

Sayuri nodded and closed her dairy.

"You're right" she said.

She blew out the candle and went to her bed. (A/N: They shared a room)

As Sayuri got comfortable, Aki turned over on her bed and looked at her.

"I had a talk with Rioko's grandfather earlier" she said.

"Apparently he had a talk with the other members of the family"

Sayuri knew where this was going and listened.

"Apparently, they're still fighting over who should run the tea company. They don't think it's fit for a 14 year old"

Sayuri sighed.

"She's been doing fine for the last 2 years" she said.

"Perhaps even better than those shrivled up hags have ever done"

Aki snorted at that.

"That is true"

Her smile fell.

"But they are becoming desperate. I heard they're starting to hire 'bodyguards' to keep them 'protected' by certain threats"

Sayuri looked at her sister.

"And this threat is centered at a certain head of the family?"

Aki shrugged.

"I'm betting my money on it" she said.

Sayuri sighed.

She thought Rioko's family would warm up to her being the head of the family by now, but it seems she was wrong.

Aki placed her hands behind her head.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much" she said.

"She's in capable hands. There's no way we would let anything happen to her"

Sayuri smiled at that.

"That is true. I won't let anyone touch a single strand of hair on her head"

Aki chuckled.

"Rioko still wonders what you did to that one guy last time" she said.

"She says no one has heard of him since and that she's afraid that you did something really serious"

Sayuri shrugged.

"I might have got carried away" she admitted.

"But everything counts when it comes to Rioko's safety"

Aki sighed.

"You scare me sometimes with your dedication"

Sayuri smirked darkly at her sister.

"What can I say?" she asked.

Her blue eye flashed to gold in the moonlight.

"I'm just one _enchanting_ maid"

/

**A/N: And there you have it. Sorry if this sucked, but I just wanted to introduce the oc's before the story started. **

**We'll get to see our favorite butler in the next chapter, so don't worry.**

**Please review and tell me what you think.**

**Ja ne!**


	3. Always be prepared for the unexpected

Chapter 2: Always be prepared for the unexpected

**A/N: Hey everyone! I'm glad you guys liked the oc's in the story. Since you were so nice to review, I've decided to update and show our favorite black butler. After all, you can't have a Black Butler story without the sexy Sebastian! **

**I will also have some pictures of everyone up on my deviantart account soon, so keep an eye out! And you're always welcome to do fanart!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Black Butler; I just own my oc's.**

**HAPPY THANKSGIVING!**

**Enjoy!**

/

_Three weeks later_

In the quiet residence of the Phantomhive Manor, Ciel Phantomhive sat within his study and went over some of the latest shipment form that were in need of signing.

Despite being 12 years old, he was an efficient leader and head of the Phantomhive.

He got straight to the point and didn't tolerate any nonsense from anyone.

He was always prepared and had everything ready on time.

Well…almost all the time.

A scowl appeared on his face when he saw the letter sitting on his desk.

He knew exactly who it was from due to the phoenix insignia that was stamped into the wax.

Rioko Jushinto.

Just like him, she was a young family head as well who worked in the tea industries.

He had been collaborating with the young woman for over 2 years now.

He figured it would be a good idea to work with people that were around his age and knew the business from his perspective.

He admired her determination and dedication to her job, but frankly, she annoyed the hell out of him.

He never met her in person, but the letters she would write to him told him enough about what her personality was like.

She didn't tolerate late payments and would harsh you until you paid for you shipments.

As he looked at her latest letter, he could help but cringe.

He picked it up and re-read the contents that his partner had so 'graciously' wrote to him.

_ Ciel Phantomhive,_

_ I'm happy to hear how well the Funtom company is doing. It just shows how dedicated you are to your family's industries and how you want to see it blossom into something greater. It also shows me that you lack taking care of other business matters. It seems that since you've been so busy, you failed to notice that you're three months late in paying for the last shipment of Earl Grey that you ordered. Do you think that just because you're the head of one of the biggest toy industries in London that I would just let this slip by and send you your next shipment? Think again. I don't care that you're twelve years old or that you have a company to run. I'm the same as you and I've been doing this a lot longer than you! If you think I'm going to slack off and not have my clients pay for their shipments then you have another thing coming! _

_ Since you're so 'busy' with your company and don't have time to send in your payment, I'm going to be nice enough and come get it from you in person. You should be grateful of me, considering how busy I can be. Just remember that tea sells more than a couple of toys and sweets._

_ Be prepared for my arrival within a few weeks time and don't even think of running or hiding from me! If you do, not only will I find you, but I'll also double the amount you owe me! _

_I look forward to seeing you._

_Sincerely, _

_Rioko Jushinto_

Ciel sighed and let the paper slip back on his desk.

"That woman" he hissed.

He had to give Rioko credit for her dedication in her job. She wouldn't let anyone stand her up, including a 12 year old. This just showed that she meant business. It didn't matter who it was, she would not stand down.

That was one of the only few things he admired about his collaborator.

A knock at the door caught his attention.

"Enter"

The door slowly opened to reveal Ciel's demon butler, Sebastian.

The young butler carried a tray with tea and the Phantomhive's finest china.

"I've brought you your tea, young master" he said.

He set the tray down and filled Ciel's cup up.

"Today's tea is Earl Grey. Your favorite"

Ciel scoffed slightly at the type. It just reminded him of his current predicament with Rioko Junshinto.

Sebastian noticed his master's sour look.

"Something the matter?"

Ciel didn't say anything.

Instead, he held up the letter and handed it to him.

"We're going to have company" he said.

"I suggest you have our guest bedroom prepared in advance"

Sebastian read the letter and couldn't help but sigh.

He could have sworn that he sent the payment for their last shipment.

Either Tanaka didn't send it in the mail or it must have been missed placed. Both ideas looked poorly on him.

As head butler of the Phantomhive manor, it was his duty to make sure everything went according to plan. If it didn't, then all hell would break loose.

He wasn't one hell of a butler for nothing.

Ciel sighed in annoyance as he sipped his tea.

"That woman" he growled.

"She gives me a headache sometimes"

Sebastian just chuckled weakly and placed the letter down.

"She just acts like you" he pointed out.

"No nonsense from anyone"

Ciel glared at his butler.

"I don't recall asking for your opinion on this manner" he said.

Sebastian simply gave him that little smile of his and bowed.

"My apologies, my lord" he said.

Ciel just grunted and went back to his paperwork.

"Just get the guest room ready" he said.

"And keep an eye out on our guest while she's here. I may know her through our letters, but I've never met her in person. If she pulls anything, I want you to take care of it"

He gave Sebastian a serious look.

"That is an order"

Sebastian's eyes turned to an eerie red at those words.

"Yes, my lord"

/

**A/N: Sorry if this chapter was short, but I was foreshadowing what was going happen next. Plus, I figured you wanted to see Sebastian, even if it was for a tiny bit.**

**Please review and tell me what you think.**

**Ja ne!**


	4. Get the facts straight

Chapter 3: Get the facts straight

**A/N: Hey everyone! It's the moment you've all been waiting for! Rioko and Ciel finally meet! I hope you're all in for a very interesting discussion between the two of them. Will it end well or will there be a blood bath in the end? Plus, our two main characters shall finally meet. This shall be interesting.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Black Butler; I just own my oc's.**

**Enjoy!**

/

Rioko smiled as she looked up at the bright blue sky.

"Finally! We made it!"

After two weeks of sailing, the head of the Junshinto family finally arrived to London.

Aki was slightly green around the gills as she wobbled off the plank. Apparently the sea didn't agree with her stomach and she had become friends with the toilet while they were traveling.

"God, that was awful" she muttered as she stuck a cigarette in her mouth.

Sayuri gave her sister a weak, sympathetic smile.

"I guess even the great Aki couldn't handle the sea" she said.

Aki gave her a weak glare.

"Shut it, Sayuri" she said.

Rioko just snickered before tossing her hair over her shoulder.

Since they were going to be staying in London, they had to get a new wardrobe. They figured people around here wouldn't be used to Kimonos.

Aki didn't change her outfit since it was considered as normal wear anyway. The only thing she did change about it was that she tucked in her shirt more nicely and brushed her hair out so it didn't look so messy.

Rioko had her hair down in a low ponytail pulled back by a clip. Her outfit consisted a violet skin tight jumper with buckles on both legs at mid-thigh and a white blouse underneath it. She had brown leather gloves covering her hands and had brown boots that laced up to her knees. And to top it all off, she wore her family's ring of a gold phoenix over a red ruby on her right index finger.

Sayuri's outfit was very similar to Rioko's except that her jumper was a powder blue and didn't have buckles at the legs. Her blouse was white as well but was bell shaped at the sleeves. She wore black leather gloves on her hands and she wore black ankle boots. She kept her hair down as well and let it fall past her shoulders.

Aki just sighed as she blew smoke from her lips.

"Aren't we a sight for sore eyes" she said.

A tick mark appeared on Rioko's forehead.

"Excuse me? But whose idea was it to dress up like this?" she asked.

She twirled around.

"Besides, I think I look really cute in this"

Sayuri smiled.

"If it makes you happy, my lady, then that's all that matters" she said.

Aki shrugged and looked around the docks.

"So is this little prick going to be waiting for us? Or is he too good for us that we have to walk to his place?"

Rioko shrugged.

"Don't know" she said.

"Ciel never responded to anything except that he agreed to our meeting and that he would be expecting me. Other than that, nothing"

Sayuri frowned slightly.

"Did he at least leave an address to his estate?" she asked.

Rioko shook her head.

"Actually, it was the Queen"

She held up an envelope that contained the Queen's seal on it.

Aki scoffed and ground her cigarette out.

"I find it a little ironic that the old hag would coincidentally find out that we were coming here and was so gracious to send directions to her little 'messenger bird'" she said.

And it was true.

While Ciel was known as the Queen's 'guard dog', Rioko was known as the Queen's 'messenger bird'. Since she owned so many tea shops, there tended to be a lot of gossip within them. If there was something that would spark the Queen's interest, Rioko was to send the information to her Royal Highness.

This was one of the connections that London had with Japan besides the tea trading.

Aki crossed her arms and closed her eyes in thought.

"She must want something if she sent Rioko a letter" she said.

"Why else would she bother sending directions to where her little guard dog is?"

Sayuri sighed and picked up her bags.

"Let's worry about that later" she said.

"It's already midday and I'm sure it'll take us a while to get to the Phantomhive mansion. Plus, we still need to drop our stuff off at the Junshinto manor"

Aki grumbled and slung her bag over her shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah"

Rioko went to pick up her bags, but Sayuri stopped her.

"Lady Rioko, I've told you before that it's the maid's duty to carry her mistress's luggage" she chided.

"A maid who can't even tend to her mistress's luggage isn't-"

"Worth her salt" Rioko finished.

She gave her maid a smile and grabbed her bags from her.

"And I've told you that a head of a family who can't even take care of her own things isn't worthy of carrying her title" she said.

"You may be my maid, but you aren't my servant. I can take care of a little bit of luggage . I'm not some little princess who has to have her hand held constantly"

Sayuri gave her a weak smile.

There was no point in arguing with Rioko when it came to stuff like this. She guess that since she grew with having her maids and servants around that she needed to be independent like them. It was nice to know that she wasn't spoiled like other rich people, if the rest of her family saw her doing chores, it would look bad for her.

She simply bowed.

"As you wish, Lady Rioko"

Rioko pouted.

"How many times have I told you to just call me Rioko?" she asked.

"You've raised me since I was a baby, so you have the liberty to just call me by name. No more of the Lady stuff"

Sayuri looked appalled.

As the head maid of the Junshinto family, she was to refer to her mistress as 'Lady Rioko' or 'My Lady'. It was so improper to call her mistress is such an ordinary manner.

"B-but, my lady!" she protested.

"Give it up, Sayuri" Aki said.

"I call her by her name and she doesn't mind. Just do as she asks and get over it"

Sayuri just sighed sadly.

"As you wish, my la-I mean…Rioko"

Rioko smiled brightly.

"That's better!" she said.

She gripped her suitcase in her hand.

"Now what are we waiting for? Let's go terrorize Ciel Phantomhive!"

Sayuri and Aki sighed as they followed their master away from the docks.

/

"Young Master" Sebastian said.

"Don't you think you should have warned Lady Rioko that you were going to be waiting for her at the docks?"

Ciel and Sebastian stood near their carriage as they waited for their guests.

A tick mark appeared on Ciel's forehead as he gripped his cane.

"This is punishment for that awful letter she sent to me" he said.

"How dare she think that she can just talk to me as if I'm some incompetent idiot. This is just showing her that everything can't go her way"

Sebastian gave him a weak smile.

"You are much too cruel, Young Master" he said.

"Do you even know what she looks like?"

When he didn't get response, he knew he got his answer.

It was understandable. Since they both lived on separate ends of the earth, there was no way that they could visit each other daily. Even sending a photograph in the mail could get lost.

It seemed the only way they would know who she was, was if she wore her family ring.

Ciel sighed as he held the bridge of his nose.

"Troublesome girl" he muttered.

"Making such a big deal over a late bill. She's making a complete fool out of herself"

Sebastian smirked.

"I'd beg to differ, young master" he said.

"She's just doing what any business woman would do. If she would let one person skip out on paying their debt, then others would too. And if that were to happen, it would look bad for her business and put her in debt as well. She's simply taking matters into her own hands…just like you do"

Ciel sighed and just ignored his butler's words.

Even though he admired Rioko's sheer determination, he would never admit it.

He simply scanned the docks for a young Japanese girl.

He was so caught up in his little search that he didn't notice that someone bumped into him until it happened.

The girl fell on her butt and groaned.

"Since when do people feel like brick walls?" she asked herself.

Ciel watched the girl rub her head and sighed before holding his hand out.

"You should look where you are going" he said.

The girl looked at his hand and accepted it.

"Yeah. Sorry about that"

When she placed her hand in his, Ciel noticed a rather particular ring on her right finger. A ring that contained a ruby with a golden phoenix on it.

His visible eye widened.

"Rioko Junshinto?" he asked.

Rioko looked up at his face startled.

"How do you know my name?" she asked.

She looked down at his hand and noticed a blue gemmed ring on his left hand.

She looked up at him in disbelief.

"Ciel Phantomhive?" she asked.

When he nodded, Rioko blinked.

"Well I'll be dammed" she said.

"I didn't expect to see you here at the docks"

Ciel sighed and looked away.

"It's only proper that a host brings his guests back to his estate" he said.

"That's the gentleman thing to do"

Rioko wore a smug look on her face.

"Oh? And this is coming from a supposed gentleman who didn't even bother sending directions to his estate?" she asked.

"I had to get directions from your Queen. I didn't know it was her job to give out directions as well"

A tick mark appeared on Ciel's forehead.

It had only been three minutes since he met his college face to face, and already she was getting on his nerves.

Sebastian just watched the scene in amusement. It was rare that someone would stand up to his master fearlessly.

"Rioko!"

"Lady Rioko!"

Sayuri and Aki ran up to their mistress.

Aki was scowling as she looked at her.

"I thought we told you not to walk off without us?" she asked.

"It's really dangerous" Sayuri said.

"Especially since we've never been to London before"

Aki flicked Rioko in the forehead.

"Next time you do that, you're going to suffer some serious consequences"

Rioko just growled in annoyance.

Ciel just smirked darkly.

"Being bossed around by your hired help? How sad is that?"

Rioko glared at Ciel.

After meeting this brat in person, she just knew they were not going to get along.

Aki raised an eyebrow when she looked at Ciel.

"Who's the brat?" she asked.

A tick mark appeared on Ciel's head at the mention of 'brat'.

Rioko smirked darkly when she saw this.

"_Payback time!"_

She put on a bright smile and wrapped her arm around his shoulders.

"This is Ciel Phantomhive!" she said.

"It seems that he wanted to surprise us by meeting us at the docks"

Sayuri quickly bowed to the head of the Phantomhive family.

"It's an honor to meet you, sir" she said.

"I'm Sayuri, and this is my older sister, Aki"

Aki just shrugged and stuck her hand in her pocket.

"Shit. I didn't expect the head of Phantomhive to be so short. Even Rioko is taller than him"

Ciel growled at the mention of him being short. It was well known that he was sensitive about his height and hated it when people brought it up.

The fact that this woman pointed out that he was shorter than his college added further insult to him.

"Aki!" Sayuri scolded.

She quickly bowed to Ciel again.

"Please forgive my sister" she said.

"She tends to speak without thinking"

Sebastian, who had been quiet this whole time, stepped forward.

"Think nothing of it" he said.

"The master tends to get embarrassed about his height. But I'm afraid it can't be helped. It seems he's just bound to stay that size"

Ciel glared at his butler.

"Sebastian!" he growled.

Sebastian just ignored him and bowed.

"Sebastian Michaelis" he introduced.

"Head butler of the Phantomhive household"

Rioko bowed her head.

"Pleasure to meet you" she said.

She looked back at Ciel and placed her hands on her hips.

"Well, considering that you came all the way out here. You probably want to talk about that debt that you owe me"

Ciel nodded.

"Yes" he said.

"So instead of just standing around here, why don't head back to my manor and talk this over properly?"

Rioko shrugged.

"Sounds good to me" she said.

She went to pick up her bag, but Sebastian beat her to it.

"It isn't proper for a lady to be carrying her luggage" he said.

"Especially when she's head of the family"

Rioko just snorted.

"I guess London has different customs as they do in Japan" she said.

"I appreciate the offer. But I can take care of it. I may be head of my family, but that doesn't make me better than anyone. I don't depend on my maids to get through the day. Unlike someone"

She looked at Ciel, who was about to step into the carriage.

A tick mark appeared on his forehead. He just growled and took his seat.

"Rioko" Sayuri warned.

Rioko held her hands up in defeat.

"I know, I know. Behave" she said.

She went up to the carriage and climbed in after Ciel. Aki soon followed after and sat next to Ciel just in case he did something.

Sayuri gave Sebastian a weak smile.

"You'll have to forgive my mistress" she said.

"She tends to be open minded and speak her opinion"

Sebastian just gave her a smile and nodded.

"It just shows how head strong she is" he said.

"That'll be a useful tool to her later on in life"

Sayuri mentally smiled at her mistress being complimented.

She readjusted her grip on her suitcase and went to go put it on the carriage, but Sebastian gently placed his hand over hers.

"It's like I told Lady Rioko. It isn't proper for a lady to be carrying all of her luggage"

Sayuri blushed slightly at that and quickly shook her head.

"It's fine. I'm just a servant. You don't need to trouble yourself"

Sebastian just gave her one of his trademark smiles.

"True. But I'm a gentleman through and through"

Sayuri just blushed at that and let him take her suitcase.

"Thank you" she said.

"It's no problem at all" Sebastian said.

"Now why don't you go into the carriage and we'll be on our way"

Sayuri nodded and quickly climbed into the carriage and sat next to Rioko before they headed off to the Phantomhive manor.

/

Rioko was impressed when she saw Ciel's manor.

She had expected something gloomy and boring that fit his personality, but instead she was greeted to a medieval like structure.

"Welcome to the Phantomhive mansion" Sebastian bowed.

"Please head to the drawing room while I go prepare some tea"

Ciel was about to lead his guests when he was bombarded by his servants.

"MASTER!"

Finni, Bard and Mey-Rin rushed over to him.

"Master, welcome home!" Finni said happily.

"Did you enjoy your day out?" My-Rin asked.

Ciel just sighed and held the bridge of his nose.

Despite his servants being so loyal to him, they tended to give him a headache.

They kept on rambling until they noticed that Rioko and her servants were there.

"Oh, we have company!" Mey-Rin said.

Rioko smile brightly at them.

"I'm Rioko Junshinto" she said.

"I'm a college of Ciel's. And these are my servants Sayuri and Aki"

Sayuri bowed while Aki nodded her head.

"It's nice to meet you"

Ciel's servants suddenly grew excited at the prospect of guests and soon started to bombard them.

"It's a pleasure to meet you!" Finni said.

"Oh, you're all from Japan! Master rarely has any colleges from that area!" Mey-Rin squealed.

"I bet you would get along with Tanaka" Bard said.

Rioko sweat dropped as they kept talking to her and her servants. They were the polar opposite to what Ciel was. They seemed more vibrant and outgoing while Ciel was just moody and boring.

Sayuri giggled at the scene while Aki made a face.

"Great. I have a headache starting" she muttered.

The servants kept going on and on until Sebastian gave them a face.

"You three" he said.

The three of them shut right away.

"If you have time to dilly-dally, then get to work!"

The three of them yelped and ran off to do their chores.

Ciel sighed in annoyance.

"Now that that's out of the way, follow me"

They followed Ciel to his drawing room where they started to talk business.

/

Rioko looked at Ciel seriously as she sat at his desk.

Even though she acted carefree, when it came to her business, she became serious. As head of the Junshinto family, she had a business to run and she couldn't do it while fooling around.

Sayuri stood next to her mistress respectfully while Aki stood near the doorway.

Sebastian poured everyone tea before serving it.

Rioko took a sip and smiled softly.

"Oolong tea. A very nice pick"

She placed her cup down and pulled out a set of papers from within her sleeve.

She unfolded them and placed them in front of Ciel.

"I'm sure being the genius that you are, you've read my letter and know exactly why that I'm here" she said.

Ciel folded his hands before placing them under his chin.

"I do. But please carry on"

Rioko gave him a stern look and pointed to the first letter.

"You see this?" she asked.

"This is the bill that was sent to you from your last shipment of Earl Grey. If you'll look at the date, you'll notice that it's three months late. Now, I don't tend to be pushy over these kinds of things. Being the business man that you are, I'm sure you were very busy this last month with that new toy shipment. But…"

She held up the other paper which showed an order for Earl Grey.

"It rubs me the wrong way when my clients expect me to ship them the goods when they haven't even bothered to pay me from their last shipment"

As she said that, she slammed the paper down.

She sighed as she folded her hands in her lap.

"I understand that you're a young Earl and that you have a company to run, but don't forget that I have one too. If I let one person skip a bill, I'll look bad for my company and that'll give me major problems. I have a reputation to keep up"

Ciel looked at the papers dully.

"And by coming here to personally scold me is a way to keep it alive?" he asked.

Rioko gave him a dull glare.

"I use whatever methods I think are appropriate" she said.

"I'm sure if you were in a similar situation as me-which I highly doubt since not a lot of people play with toys-you would do the same thing. You must understand what I do. We're both young, perhaps way too young to be running our families. But in order to prove that we mean business, we'll do things that will other businesses won't"

She fiddled with the family ring that was on her finger.

"It's nothing personal. It's just business. Surely you understand?"

Ciel just started at the young woman before him.

He thought that she was nothing more than an oblivious girl who didn't even take her job seriously and just wanted to make a fool out of herself. But after hearing her, he now saw the side that he respected the most.

She may be young, but she wasn't going to let anyone trample over her. She even came out of her way her just to prove a point. This girl meant real business and she wasn't going to leave until he saw it her way.

He leaned back and took a sip from his tea.

"I must say. I think I misjudged you" he said.

"It seems that you know what you're talking about when it comes to running a business"

"Of course I do. I've been doing this a lot longer than you have" Rioko replied.

"So are we done yapping? Or do I have to talk you to boredom until you pay me?"

Ciel just sipped on his tea.

"Don't worry, I'll pay you" he said.

"It won't be all at once though"

Rioko snorted as she finished her tea.

"I didn't expect as much" she said.

"With the way your tab looks. I would be surprised if you paid me here now"

Ciel raised an eyebrow.

"Surely I don't have to pay that much" he insisted.

Rioko pulled a piece of paper out and read it.

"Oh, you'd be surprised" she said.

"You're my top paying customer. Not to mention you practically dry me out of Earl Grey"

She slid the paper to him.

"This is how much you owe me"

Ciel took it and almost spit out his tea.

His eyes grew wide as saucers as he saw that his bill was way over the three digit zone.

"What nonsense is this?" he demanded.

"I most certainly don't have to pay this much!"

Rioko leaned back in her seat and had a cat like grin on her face.

"Clearly you don't know your tea, Mr. Phantomhive" she said, mocking him with his last name.

"Because if you did, then you would know that half of those tea leaves are very hard to come by and are even rare to be sold. That being said, it's obvious why they would be more expensive than the other types"

Ciel simply scanned over the types of tea that were on the list.

"There is no way that I ordered all of these" he said.

"Oh really?" Rioko asked.

She pointed to the signature at the bottom.

"Is that not your signature? Because if it isn't, then someone must be really skilled to copy your writing style"

Ciel looked closely and noticed that it was in fact his signature.

No one was able to copy his strokes or curves. Not even Sebastian could pull it off.

He must have signed it without really bothering to read the contents of the paper…or a certain butler didn't warn him about what he was signing.

He glared at his demon butler.

"Sebastian" he growled.

Sebastian simply smiled at him and bowed.

"You told me to order you the finest teas that Lady Junshinto had. You never specified the price range"

Rioko held back a snicker while Aki smirked.

"Stupid kid" she mumbled.

Sayuri sweat dropped at the scene.

She knew all too well how this scenario usually went.

"_This is why I tell Lady Rioko to read over what's she signing before she actually does it" _she thought.

That saved Rioko from getting a headache and from her losing money.

Rioko just smirked and lean against the desk.

"So it would seem that even the mighty Ciel Phantomhive suffers from a few blunders" she said.

Ciel growled and slammed the paper on his desk.

"This is such a disgrace on my part" he muttered.

"How could I have not notice this?"

Rioko shrugged.

"Well, now you know to read over things carefully before you sign them" she said.

"It's no big deal. You just have to learn from your mistakes. And you can learn this one by paying me for your tea"

Ciel ran a hand through his hair.

This was really starting to frustrate him. How could he have foolishly put himself in a position where he had to pay off for tea? It was such a disgrace for him and his honor as the Earl of the Phantomhive family.

He regarded his current guest with a cold stare.

Judging by the way she acted and looked at him, she wasn't going to leave until she got paid. This was going to be a troublesome visit.

"I'll pay you as soon as I have some free time" he muttered.

"In the meantime, why don't you retire to the room we have prepared for you?"

Rioko smirked and waved him off.

"Thanks, but it's not necessary" she said.

"I have my own little manor around here as well. Since I own a few tea houses as well, I need to keep an eye on them and see how my business here is doing"

Ciel mentally sighed with relief.

At least he didn't have to house this annoying girl.

Sebastian bowed to them.

"I'll go have the carriage ready" he said.

"That won't be necessary either" Aki said.

"Our manor isn't that far away" Sayuri explained.

"It's just a few blocks away actually. We're fine with walking"

Sebastian looked a little skeptical.

"I don't think that's such a good idea" he said.

"It's getting rather late and a group of girls walking out at night seems dangerous"

Sayuri smiled sweetly at him.

"It's nice that you care, but we'll be alright" she said.

"We have Aki to take care of us"

To prove her point, Aki pulled out a gun that she had stashed in her back pocket.

"Nobody is going to mess with us while I'm packing" she said.

Rioko stood up from her seat.

"I'll be going now. Thank you for the tea and hospitality"

She bowed to Sebastian and looked at Ciel.

"And remember. I'll be watching you" she warned.

"If you try to run away from your debt, I'll hunt you down"

A tick mark appeared on Ciel's forehead.

"I'm not that big of a coward who would simply run away because he owes money" he snapped.

"I have my honor to uphold"

Rioko smirked proudly.

"That's what I expected from you" she said.

"Which is going to make my trip more interesting"

She waved good bye to them while Sayuri and Aki bowed.

"See you around"

When they left, Ciel let out a long sigh.

Sebastian just smirked.

"Well, that was an interesting meeting" he said.

Ciel ran a hand down his face.

"Why do I get the feeling that I'll be seeing that girl again?" he muttered.

It could be because he didn't realize just how deep she would be tied with in his current plans.

/

**A/N: So everyone finally met! This is just the beginning of the many encounters that our characters will face with. Now that Sayuri and Sebastian have finally met, our love story can begin. **

**Please review and tell me what you think.**

**Ja ne**


	5. Able Maid

Chapter 4: An Able Maid

**A/N: Hey everyone! Back with another chapter! I finally put up the pics for this story, so if you want to see what Sayuri, Aki and Rioko look like, just go to my homepage and click on the link to my Deviantart page. Also, I'll post this story up on Deviantart as well for those who would rather read it there.**

**Now is where the story and the anime emerge. How will Ciel cooperate with Rioko hanging around? Only one way to find out.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Black Butler; I just own my oc's.**

**Enjoy!**

/

The sun was shining brightly out in the Phantomhive garden. It seemed to bring a natural glow to the vibrant flowers that were lined all over the place. A cool breeze would blow by every now and then. It was the perfect atmosphere to enjoy and early cup of tea.

Sebastian pout Ciel his tea before handing it to him.

"It's turned out to be a lovely day, young master"

Ciel accepted his tea and quietly drank it.

"It has" he agreed.

"Just the perfect time to relax the peace and quiet. However…"

A tick mark appeared on his forehead as he looked at his little 'guest' that was sitting with him.

"Why on earth are _you _here?"

Rioko just snickered and drank her tea.

"What? You mean I can't enjoy a cup of tea with my college?" she asked.

Ciel dug his hand into the table to the point he feared that he would crack the wood. The fact that his 'college' was here drinking morning tea with him ruined his appetite. Rioko had been dropping by his house unexpectedly for the past week. She claimed that she wanted to make sure that he wasn't hiding from her or the debt that he owed, but he had a feeling she was only here to annoy him to no end.

"Why are you here?" he repeated.

"Or rather, how did you get in here? I made sure to change the locks on the door"

Rioko just laughed at him.

"Sebastian let me in" she said.

"I have to say, you have a very nice butler. He know just how to make a lady feel welcome around here"

A tick mark appeared on Ciel's head as he heard that. He was still pissed off with Sebastian and the whole debt thing. It was his fault since he didn't warn him what he was signing.

Sayuri smiled weakly when she saw Ciel fuming.

"I apologize for Lady Rioko's sudden appearance" she said.

"She tends to do things without thinking. Not to mention it's rude to show up unexpected"

As she said that last part, she gave Rioko a stern look. Rioko felt her stare drilling in the back of her head and sighed. Leave it to Sayuri to make her feel bad. True, she should feel bad that she was doing this to Ciel, but she wasn't going to be made a fool out of him. She wouldn't leave him alone until he paid up. And if bothering him during his morning tea would do the trick, then she was going to continue with it.

Sebastian bowed to them.

"Think nothing of it" he said.

"Even though you're not staying here at the manor, you're still considered as the young master's guests. Feel free to stay as long as you like"

Ciel glared at him.

"Sebastian" he growled.

Sayuri smiled sweetly. She had to admit that Sebastian was rather kind to them during their visits. Not to mention that he was rather handsome. Just thinking about it made a small blush appear on her face, but she made sure it wasn't noticeable.

Aki pulled out her small gun and twirled it around her finger. She really didn't like coming over to the Phantomhive manor because Ciel annoyed the crap out of him. If there was one thing she hated the most, it was snobby kids. They always acted like their needs were more important than others and if they didn't get what they wanted they would throw a fit. She was lucky Rioko didn't turn out that way or else she would have put a bullet to her head.

She watched as Rioko was talking to Ciel, or rather, chatting away and giving Ciel a headache. When the poor boy couldn't take it anymore, he glared at Rioko.

"Don't you have some business to attend to?" he asked.

"I'm rather busy today and I don't have time to be chatting mindlessly"

Rioko scowled and leaned back in her seat.

"As a matter of fact, I don't" she said.

"Since I like to keep on top of everything. I took care of all my businesses here already. The only thing I need to do is wait for you to pay up your debt"

Ciel growled.

"I told you that I'll pay you once I'm free"

Rioko rolled her eyes.

"Like I've never heard that line before" she said.

"I don't care how long it takes or how busy you are. I'm not leaving until I get paid"

Ciel held the bridge of his nose to suppress a headache.

"You're a rather troublesome girl" he muttered.

"Making such a big deal over a little debt"

Rioko glared at him and gripped the arms of her seat.

"It may seem little you Phantomhive, but to me it's a big deal" she snapped.

"In case you haven't forgotten, I have a company to run and I will not be made into a fool because I let one little payment slip away. If you were in my situation, you would be using similar methods as well. So excuse me if this annoys you, but it's just business. So shut your trap"

Sayuri glared at her mistress.

She never liked it when she got snippy with her clients and she thought it was rather rude.

"Rioko" she snapped.

Rioko flinched at the tone Sayuri used. She almost forgot how mush Sayuri hated it when people were acting rude. She held back a gulp as she sensed the anger radiating off of her maid.

Sayuri sighed and bowed to Ciel.

"You'll have to forgive Lady Rioko" she said.

"She tends to forget using her manners. I assure you that it won't happen again"

She gave Rioko a hard stare.

"Right, My Lady?"

Rioko nodded.

"Yes" she muttered.

Aki snorted at the scene. Normally servants would never dare to talk back to their masters like that. But since Sayuri raised Rioko since she was an infant, then that meant she had special privileges to do so. If it had been any other servant, then it would cost them their lives.

Sayuri sighed as she looked at her mistress.

"I'm sure Lord Phantomhive is rather busy today, my lady" she said.

"Why don't we just head back to the manor and call it a day?"

Aki stood up from where she was sitting and placed her gun away. She was really itching to leave this place.

Rioko sighed and stood up from her seat.

"Very well" she said.

She bowed to Sebastian and Ciel.

"Thank you for the tea and hospitality today" she said.

"I'll see you tomorrow"

Ciel just groaned, dreading over the fact that he would have to see this annoying girl tomorrow.

"Master!"

Mey-Rin quickly walked over towards them with a tray of snacks on them.

"Master! I brought you your favorite treats!" she said.

Just as she came towards them, she tripped on a small rock and fell forward.

Ciel and Sebastian's eyes widen when they saw all the food flying.

Sayuri, who was the closest to Mey-Rin, reacted quickly.

Picking up a spare plate that was on the table, she gathered all of the treats and had them land perfectly on the plate before she grabbed Mey-Rin to prevent her from falling flat on her face. The young maid smiled at Mey-Rin as she handed her the plate.

"You should be more careful" she said.

"It's not a good idea to walk briskly when you're carrying food. Especially since you wear such think glasses"

Mey-Rin blushed as she accepted the plate.

"S-sorry!" she cried.

"I was just in a hurry and I wasn't watching where I was going!"

Sayuri smiled softly at her.

"There's nothing to worry about" she said.

"Just make sure to be more careful next time"

Aki cleared her throat when she noticed her sister going into 'maid mode'. Whenever she was in that state, it was hard to get her out of it. She just had to make everything perfect and nice for everyone.

"Sayuri" she warned.

Sayuri blinked before laughing nervously.

"Gomen. I guess I did it again" she said.

Rioko and Aki just rolled their eyes at her. Typical Sayuri.

Ciel and Sebastian simply looked at Sayuri in amazement. They had never seen anyone react so quickly like that before. Ciel thought that only Sebastian could do that, but he was stunned when he saw that Sayuri caught every treat and made sure none of them were ruined.

There was no way that a normal maid could do that….at least not a human maid.

Sebastian narrowed his eyes at Sayuri. There seemed to be more to her than she was leading on.

When Mey-Rin finally composed herself, she looked at Ciel.

"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that your guest is on his way" she said.

Ciel raised a bored eyebrow. He had a guest coming besides Rioko?

Sebastian pulled out a list for the day's events.

"Oh, yes. You're having dinner with Sir Clause today at 6. He wanted to go over one of the deals you were going to make with him"

At the mention of Clause's name, Rioko's eyes flared.

"That bastard is here in London?" she snapped.

She pulled out a letter containing all of her payments.

"He owes me a lot of money"

"Cheeky bastard was probably trying to hide from you, knowing how much he needed to pay" Aki said.

"He never was good at keeping his end of the deal" Sayuri added.

Rioko gave Ciel as serious glare.

"If you're doing business with him, then I suggest you don't" she said.

"If he isn't able to pay off for tea then I highly doubt he could do business that deals with sweets and toys"

Ciel just regarded her with a simple nod.

"Is that so?" he inquired.

"In that case I take it you would like to stay for dinner?"

"That would be nice" Rioko said.

"That way I can squeeze that pig dry of what he owes me"

Ciel sighed and looked at Sebastian.

"It would seem that we will be having another guest tonight" he said.

"Go rearrange tonight's dinner"

Sebastian bowed.

"Yes, my lord" he said.

He walked off to go take care of everything.

"In the mean time, I suggest you make yourself comfortable" Ciel said.

"Sir Clause won't be here for a while"

Sayuri bowed.

"Aki and I shall help out with the preparations" she said.

"It's the least we can do"

Aki sighed in annoyance.

"Do we have to?" she asked.

Sayuri gave her a harsh look.

Ciel didn't see it, but Sayuri's eyes flashed gold.

Aki held her hands up in surrender.

"Fine, fine. You win" she said.

"I'll go see if Finni needs any help with the gardens"

It seemed that during their trips at the Phantomhive manor, Aki started to form a little bond with Finni. Sayuri figured it was because both of them liked to be outside or because Aki just couldn't stand to be in a manor full of noisy people.

Sayuri bowed to Ciel and Rioko.

"I'll be in the kitchens if you need me" she said.

She gave Rioko a stern look.

"And you behave yourself"

Rioko rolled her eyes and waved her maid off.

"I'll be a good girl" she said.

"Now go off and do what you do best. I'm sure I can keep myself entertained with Ciel's company"

Sayuri smiled and bowed once more.

"Very good, my lady" she said.

She walked off to help prepare dinner while Rioko looked at Ciel with a bored expression.

"So…what's new with you?"

Ciel sighed and held the bridge of his nose.

This was going to be a long day.

/

Humming a soft tune, Sayuri focused intently on the preparations for tonight's meal.

Sebastian watched as she mixed the proper seasonings that were to be put on the roast that he picked out.

"You really shouldn't be doing this" he said.

"As a guest, you should be relaxing instead of preparing dinner"

Sayuri smiled sweetly.

"Nonsense" she said.

"I love doing this. Setting up dinners is like a work of art to me. It's creating something new each night. Besides, I'm just a maid, so I'm expected to help out"

She looked at him and tilted her head slightly.

"Unless I'm getting in your way"

Sebastian mulled it over. He had to admit that Sayuri was a lot more helpful in the kitchen than Bard was. She actually took time to prepare dinner instead of being impatient and using a flame thrower on it.

He shook his head and went back to fixing up the dessert.

"It's fine" he said.

"At least you're not ruining dinner like Bard tends to do"

Sayuri giggled at that. She had heard the tales of Bard tending to use a flame thrower to cook dinner.

"Trust me; I'm not into starting fires. That's in my sister's department"

She picked up the tray that the roast was on and walked past Sebastian to keep it cool until it was time to cook it.

The sound of the bell of the drawing room pulled startled them.

"Oh. I guess Sir Phantomhive needs you" Sayuri said.

"I should see if Lady Rioko needs me for anything also"

Placing the roast down, she fixed herself up before smiling at Sebastian.

"Shall we?" she asked.

Sebastian simply nodded and led her towards the drawing room.

/

We'd like something sweet to eat" Ciel said as he moved his knight.

Since he didn't know how to entertain Rioko, he decided to play a game of chess with her.

Sebastian sighed.

He was busy preparing dinner for their guest and yet he had to pull him away just so he could have something to eat?

"You shouldn't eat now, young master" he said.

"And you shouldn't be eating any sweets before dinner, my lady" Sayuri said.

"It'll upset your stomach"

Rioko pouted and gave her the puppy dog look.

"Aww, please?" she asked.

"Ciel and I are really hungry. Can't we just have a small piece of cake or something?"

Sayuri gave her a stern look.

"No, Rioko. I don't want you to be full before dinner" she said.

Rioko sighed in defeat and just slumped in her seat.

Ciel noticed that Sebastian wasn't going to back down either, so he decided to drop it.

"Very well" he said.

He went back to his game with Rioko and watched as she moved one of her rooks.

"This game is so confusing" she said.

"And I thought Shoji was a lot more complicated than this"

Ciel didn't say anything and simply stole one of her pawns.

"It's not about knowing how to play the game" he said.

"It's all about how you strategize your moves before you play them. If you don't come up with a good plan, then you're as good as dead"

Rioko chuckled and stole a knight from Ciel.

"You really are something" she said.

Sayuri smiled at the scene that was unfolding. She thought it was nice that they were actually socializing with each other over things besides Ciel's tea debt.

Aki suddenly came bursting into the room looking a little disheveled.

When she spotted Sayuri and Sebastian, she quickly grabbed them by the arm and pulled them out of the room before slamming the door shut.

"Sorry to pull you away from your little party, but we have a slight problem" she said.

Sayuri titled her head.

"What's wrong, Onee-chan?"

Aki ran a hand through her messy orange hair.

"I was helping Finni with the garden since he looked like he couldn't do it on his own, but then I noticed that I was running low on my cigarettes, so I went back to our manor to pick up some more. When I got back, the whole place was a complete mess"

Sayuri didn't know what Aki meant, but Sebastian knew full well what had happened.

He sighed wearily.

"Can't have a single day where nothing is ruined" he said to himself.

"Show me what's been destroyed"

Aki led them towards the messes that the Phantomhive staff had created.

/

Mortified would have an understatement for Sayuri when she saw what the servants had done.

The whole garden was pretty much dead without a single living plant growing. The finest china was in shambles and scattered all over the ground. And what's worse, the dinner was burnt to a crisp.

Bard, Finni and Mey-Rin trembled as they stood before Sebastian. They really screwed up this time and now they were going to face his wrath.

Sayuri and Aki thought he would explode on them, but they were surprised to see him wearing a creepy grin on his face.

The Phantomhive staff trembled even more when they saw that grin.

That meant they really, really screwed up.

"Now then" Sebastian said 'calmly'.

"Would care to explain how this happened?"

"I thought things would go faster if I used extra strength weed killer on the gardens!" Finni cried.

"I was trying to reach the tea set we use for guest, but I tripped and the cabinet fell" Mey-Rin said.

"There was a lot of meat to be cooked for dinner and it was going to take a long time, so I use me flame thrower" Bard said.

Sebastian just gave them a cold stare while they blabbered their apologies.

Aki held the bridge of her nose to suppress a headache.

"And I thought the maids back at home were bad" she muttered.

"With the way things are, there won't be time to fix everything up"

Sayuri sighed and placed her head in her hand. This was a troublesome situation indeed. And by the look on Sebastian's face, he was thinking the same thing as well.

"_There isn't enough time to replace the tea sets or find premium meats" _she thought.

"_This is almost like Rioko's birthday party last year. The whole house was such a mess"_

Thinking about their home in Japan suddenly gave her an idea.

If they couldn't fix the mess in time, then they would just have to cover it up. And she had the perfect plan for it.

She quickly looked at Sebastian to see him put his pocket watch away.

"Mr. Michaelis" she said.

"If I may; I believe I think I know a way that could save this night"

Sebastian raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?" he asked.

Sayuri smiled as she clapped her hands together.

"Why not show Mr. Clause a little Japanese hospitality?"

/

By the time Mr. Clause had arrived, everything was in order.

The Italian business man was beyond surprised when he saw a stone garden spread out across the front of the house.

"How impressive" he said in a think Italian voice.

"This is called a stone garden" Sebastian said.

"It is a traditional feature in Japan"

Mr. Clause laughed full heartedly.

"Wonderful!" he cried.

"We thought it would be appropriate to eat outside tonight" Sebastian said as he took Mr. Clause's coat and hat.

Tanaka led their guest to the drawing room to relax while dinner was being prepared.

"Who would have thought a dozen bags of gravel would turned into an amazing garden?" Finni said when Mr. Clause was inside.

"We saved our skins with this idea" Bard added.

Sebastian gave them a look.

"There's still work to be done, so look sharp" he said.

The Phantomhive staff nodded in understanding before they left to finish up their tasks.

Meanwhile, Mr. Clause marveled at the beauty of the Phantomhive estate.

"As I would expect from the Phantomhive's" he said.

When he reached the drawing room, he saw Ciel waiting for him in his seat.

"Mr. Clause. How nice of you to drop by" he said.

Mr. Clause bowed deeply to his associate.

"Lord Phantomhive. It's truly an honor for you to have me here" he said.

He took a seat across from Ciel.

"Now then, the reason I've come here was to see if we can discuss about our business out in-"

"Mr. Clause. It's been a while"

The Italian business man paled when he heard that voice. Turning to his right, he saw Rioko leaning against the windowsill of the drawing room.

He gulped slightly when he saw the evil glint shinning through her brown eyes.

"L-lady Junshinto" he stuttered.

"I-it's been a while"

Rioko smirked and strode over towards them.

"Indeed it has" she said.

"So long in fact that when I heard you were coming by to visit Lord Phantomhive, I simply had to come see you for myself"

She took a seat next to Ciel and pulled out a piece of paper.

"You and I have a lot of catching up to do" she said darkly.

Mr. Clause laughed nervously while he saw the paper held all of the debts that he owed her.

Ciel leaned back in his seat and watched the scene unfold.

"_This should be interesting" _he thought.

/

Sebastian came into the kitchen to see Sayuri cutting away at the meat that Bard burnt badly.

"How's it coming along?" he asked.

Sayuri smiled as she held the sharp knife a little to casually.

"Very well" she said.

"It's a good thing Bard didn't burn the meat too badly, otherwise this wouldn't have worked"

Sebastian gave her his trademark smirk.

"That's good to know"

"Sebastian! We brought them!" Mey-Rin called.

She came running towards them while carrying a few boxes. She went with Aki to the Junshinto manor to pick up their finest china.

As Mey-Rin was running, she tripped over her shoelaces and fell forward.

Aki quickly grabbed the boxes before they smashed to the floor while Sebastian caught Mey-Rin.

"Watch it, you klutz!" Aki yelled.

"Do you have any idea how much these cost?"

Mey-Rin blushed from being so close to Sebastian and quickly jumped away.

"I'm sorry!" she cried.

"My glasses are crack and it's hard for me to see!"

"It's alright" Sayuri said.

"We have spares back at the manor. Aki just has a natural short temper, so don't let it get to you"

Aki just gave her sister the finger before she walked off to set the table.

Sayuri just sighed and went back to fixing dinner.

"I should be done real soon" she said to Sebastian.

"You can have Lord Phantomhive and Lady Rioko take their seats outside while I finish up"

Sebastian bowed.

"Consider it done" he said.

He went to retrieve his master and his guests while Sayuri put the final touches to the main dish.

"I outdo myself sometimes" she said to herself.

/

Mr. Clause was slightly pale when they sat outside for dinner. He never expected to get his head chewed off by a 14 year old girl. Rioko had really spoken her mind when it came to him neglecting to pay his debt and when he asked Ciel for more money to run his end of the Funtom Company.

"_If you can't pay off your debt over stupid tea then what the hell makes you think Ciel will give you money to run a company?" _she shouted at him.

Ciel was slightly impressed with the way she put his guest in his place. There was no way that he was going to give him more money to run the Funtom Company in Italy if he couldn't even pay for tea.

He had Rioko sit next to him at the table while Mr. Clause sat at the other end of it. He didn't want her to bite off his guest's head while she was at his house.

Mr. Clause simply looked around the garden so he could avoid eye contact with Rioko; who was watching him like a hawk.

"Dinner is ready!" Sayuri cried.

She held Sebastian placed the food on the table before stepping back to stand beside Rioko.

The maid really outdid herself with dinner. Since the meat wasn't badly burnt, she decided to create beef donburi.

Rioko's eyes lit up when she saw what her maid had created.

"Oh! My favorite!" she said.

Ciel looked at it strangely, but he thought it smelled real nice.

Mr. Clause on the other hand was skeptical. He had expected a huge meal for them with trays overflowing with food. But instead, he was only given a small bowl that had meat, rice, vegetables and a few other things.

"Is this the evening meal?" he asked.

Sayuri frowned when she heard that. She had worked really hard at creating this dish and this man had the nerve to ask if that was all he would be eating for dinner.

"Surely the Phantomhive's can create something more-"

"Mr. Clause" Sebastian said.

"Have you no knowledge of this?"

He suddenly held a determined look in his eyes as he continued on.

"We have the laborers from ancient Japan to thank for this Donburi, a feat that serves many purposes!" he cried.

"The contributor to society who has finished his task has put his feelings of thanks and gratitude into this food….that is Donburi!"

Everyone was surprised by the speech that Sebastian gave.

Sayuri smiled at the fact that he defended her honor by making her meal seem very important.

"_What a gentleman" _she thought.

Rioko twirled her chopsticks between her fingers as she looked at Mr. Clause.

"Surely you're not trying to insult my country's way of cooking" she said.

"You've pissed me off enough today, don't make it any worse than it is"

Mr. Clause laughed nervously before he started eating.

While they were eating, Sebastian turned to Mey-Rin.

"Mey-Rin, please pour our guest a glass of wine" he said.

Mey-Rin blushed madly and nervously went up to the table. Her hands were shaking like crazy and she held the bottle of wine out to pour. Everything seemed to go smoothly until she actually started to pour the drink.

Instead of aiming for the glass, she got it all over the tablecloth.

Everyone paled in horror when they saw the wine slowly heading towards Mr. Clause, who was too busy eating his meal to notice.

It a single drop of wine got on his clothing, then the night would be ruined.

Sebastian acted quickly and yanked the tablecloth off the table, without even tipping over a single item.

Everyone was very impressed by how quick and skillful Sebastian was.

Mr. Clause finally realized the tablecloth was gone and looked bewildered.

"Where did the tablecloth go?" he asked.

Ciel gave his guest a casual smirk.

"There was a spot of dirt on it, so I had it removed" he said.

"Excuse the interruption. Please continue to enjoy the meal to your leisure"

Mr. Clause simply laughed.

"You have quite a skillful butler" he said.

Sebastian simply gave him a smirk.

"What can I say" he said.

"I'm simply…one _hell _of a butler"

Throughout the rest of the night, Ciel and Rioko idly chatted with Mr. Clause while they ate dessert.

Rioko nearly squealed when she took a bite out of her dessert.

It was parfait made with apples and pears and was drizzled over with a chocolate sauce.

"You're butler really knows how to make sweets" Rioko said.

"They're just as good as Sayuri's desserts"

Sebastian bowed as he accepted the compliment.

"I'm honored that you find my cooking to be so exquisite, Lady Rioko" he said.

As dinner came to a close, Sayuri went to help clean up the table before Sebastian gently grabbed her arm.

"You've been more than helpful today" he said.

"Please leave the rest to me"

Sayuri blushed, but nodded her head.

She stepped back and allowed Sebastian to pick up the dishes before retreating into the house.

"My, that was a splendid dinner" Mr. Clause said.

He stood up from his seat.

"I think I should prepare for my departure"

"Not so fast, Mr. Clause" Rioko said.

"You and I still have business to attend to"

Mr. Clause gulped and sat back down.

"I-I suppose you're right" he said.

Rioko smirked darkly as she stared him down.

Sayuri had a feeling where this was going, so she decided to go find Aki so they could get ready to leave as well.

She didn't need to look too hard because she found her leaning on the side of the house while smoking one of her favorite brands of cigarettes.

"Have I told how much I hate when you smoke?" Sayuri asked.

Aki just looked at her sister and shrugged.

"Just about every day" she said.

She blew smoke out of her mouth and watched as she made a few rings.

"At least dinner wasn't ruined tonight" she said.

"And it was all thanks to you"

Sayuri just smiled weakly at the compliment.

They just stood there without saying anything for a while. It was times like this that Sayuri enjoyed being with her sister. Since she couldn't remember her past from before she came to the Junshinto family, Aki was the only source she had to the life she had before she was a maid. Her sister may have not told her anything about her past, but it was better this way.

"_I rather find it out on my own than have someone tell me about it" _ she thought.

When they heard someone approaching, they looked up to see Rioko coming towards them.

The young head wore a proud smile on her face and held a pouch containing a lot of money.

"Let's just say that Mr. Clause finally paid off his debt with me" she said.

The maids just sweat dropped at their master.

Only Rioko could haggle her way into getting what she wanted.

Rioko stifled a yawn behind her hand.

"I think it's safe to call it a night" she said.

"My work here is done"

Sayuri nodded.

"I'll let Lord Phantomhive know that we'll be leaving then" she said.

She went to go off and tell Ciel while the other two went to get ready.

/

"We hoped that you enjoyed your stay, Lady Rioko" Sebastian said.

Since it was so late out, Ciel insisted that Tanaka take them back by carriage. Since Rioko helped him out by not making a deal with Mr. Clause, he decided to repay her.

Rioko smiled.

"I enjoyed every minute of it" she said.

"And thanks to Ciel, I managed to check off another client that owes me. Now I just need to worry about him"

A tick mark appeared on Ciel's forehead.

"I'm glad that I was able to help" he said sarcastically.

Aki went outside to make sure everything was ready while Sayuri bowed to Ciel and Sebastian.

"Thank you for your hospitality" she said.

Sebastian gave her a small smirk.

"Think nothing of it" he said.

"And thank you for helping us save tonight's dinner. I believe you've influenced us with your cultural background"

Sayuri blushed slightly at the compliment.

"T-think nothing of it" she said.

"We servants need to stick together, so it's only natural that I helped"

Before it became too awkward between the head servants, Rioko pulled Sayuri towards the door.

"We'll be seeing you in a week" she said to Ciel.

"A deal is a deal after all"

Ciel resisted the urge to sigh with relief.

"_A whole week without her giving me a headache" _he thought.

As Sayuri walked towards the door, she walked past Sebastian.

When she past him, he caught a whiff of her sent; which made his eyes grow wide. That scent she was carrying wasn't human, nor was it demon. It was a whole different kind. In all his years as a demon, he had never smelled anything like that before.

He watched as she walked down the steps and climbed into the carriage after Rioko did.

Tanaka snapped at the reigns and the carriage was off.

"Finally, I can have some peace and quiet" Ciel said to himself as he headed towards his room.

Sebastian just stayed put and watched as the carriage pulled out of the estate and vanished.

His eyes narrowed as he thought of Sayuri. There was something off about the head maid of the Junshinto family, and he was going to find out.

"_If she's not human and not a demon" _he thought.

"_What is she?"_

/

**A/N: So Sebastian has noticed that Sayuri isn't human. If she isn't a human or demon, then what is she?**

**All shall be revealed in the next chapter.**

**Please review and tell me what you think.**

**Ja ne**


	6. More than just a maid

Chapter 5: More than just a maid

**A/N: Happy New Year everyone! I'm sure you can tell by the title that we get to find out what Sayuri really is. I hope you all like what I have in store and don't flame me for it. **

**I just got the first half of season one for Black Butler today! I can't wait to see what Grell will sound like in his real form, I'm sure it'll be awesome!**

**Also, I'm looking for artists who would like to do fanart for this series. If you're interested, please tell me so in your review or in a PM message. Whoever does some art for me gets a chapter created and dedicated to them.**

**Anyway, onward with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Black Butler; I just own my oc's. **

**Enjoy!**

/

_Darkness was the only thing she could see when she opened her eyes. Everywhere she looked, she saw nothing but the blackened abyss that brought fear to so many others. Yet despite the threatening aura it gave out, she didn't feel afraid._

_She didn't feel anything._

_She didn't feel the cold, damp floor that she was lying on. _

_She couldn't feel the throbbing pain that coming from her head._

_She couldn't even feel her hand twitching at her side._

_She couldn't feel anything._

_She raised her hand to her face. Her lifeless blue eyes watched as she moved her fingers, for what felt like the first time. Her mind didn't comprehend that she was the one who was making it move. It was as if something simple like this was foreign to her._

_The sound of a metal door creaked opened and let light into the darkened room. _

_She didn't even shield her eyes from the blinding light, nor flinch when the door slammed shut._

_Heavy footsteps echoed through the room as a person walked up to her._

_She didn't utter a sound when the person knelt in front of her to get a better look at her. _

_The person's face was clouded from her view, but she knew that it was a male._

_The man had a wicked grin on his face as he looked at her seemingly lifeless body._

"_It looks like she's finally woken up" he said to the woman beside him._

_He ran his rough hand across her porcelain face._

"_You my dear, shall be the key to our salvation" he said._

"_With you at our side, we shall rebuild humanity once more!"_

_With that, the man walked away with his partner and plunged her into darkness once more._

/

Sayuri woke with a start as she recalled that dream.

Sitting up in bed, she observed her surroundings to see that she was in her room back at the Junshinto manor.

The morning rays of the sun peeked through the opening of the curtains, letting the world know that another day had come.

Aki was snoring like a log on her side of the room; oblivious to the face that her sister had just woken up.

The maid sighed as she ran a hand through her hair.

"Another memory" she whispered.

She went to her side drawer and pulled out her journal and quickly went to her desk. Picking up her pen, she scribbled the memory she had just recounted.

Every memory that she recalled since she became a maid was written down within these pages. 18 years of fragmented dreams were etched on every single paper. 18 years of trying to figured out who she was before she lost her memories.

She sighed and closed her journal when she wrote everything down.

She pushed the curtains back slightly to watch the sun climbed over the group of trees.

"I'll find out who I really am" she said quietly.

"Somehow"

/

Two weeks went by uneventfully for the Phantomhive residence. Since Rioko made a deal with Ciel, she didn't come for her daily visits. It nice for the Head of the Phantomhive family. Without the Queen's 'messenger bird' hovering around him and pestering him on an hourly basis; he was able to finally finish up some of his work.

It was all good like it should be….however that all changed on one particular day.

/

"Ugh…stuck in the place yet again" Aki said as she walked through the halls.

Rioko was summoned by Ciel for a meeting with a few of the Queen's underlings. While Ciel was known as the Queen's Guard Dog, Rioko was known to be the messenger bird. Since she was known as that, she had to attend these meetings so she could share her tidbits of information she carried.

Aki thought it was pointless really. She couldn't understand why her master would serve someone that she held no respect for. The Queen never stepped foot out of her palace and made everyone else do her dirty work. She never understood why a little girl would want to an old hag's work.

"_It's for my enjoyment" _Rioko would say.

"_Besides, this is just proof of how desperate that old woman is. If she would blindly put her trust in the hands of a child, then she must be losing her control over her kingdom"_

Aki just shook her head and tuck a lock of her messy orange hair behind her ear.

"I'll never understand that girl" she said to herself.

After living with her for 14 years, she still didn't know what went through that pretty little head of hers.

She was smart, she'll admit; but she thought she was a little _too _smart for her age. With the way she thought things out, she would get herself in trouble one of these days.

"That is, if her mouth doesn't do it first"

She snorted at that thought.

"She spends way too much time with me"

She rounded a corner and came to a stop when she saw the Phantomhive staff huddled around the floor.

Bard had opened the trap door that lead to the wiring of the house.

"Bloody hell" he said.

He pulled his head out and pulled up a piece of chewed off wire.

"This wire's done for"

"Oh, not the rats again" Mey-Rin said.

Aki raised an eyebrow and sauntered over towards them.

"What seems to be the problem here?" she asked.

The servants looked up at their guest/friend.

"It's the rats" Bard said.

"They've been plaguing London lately, but I never thought they would a problem this far out in the city"

Aki nodded her head in understanding. Back at the Junshinto household, they suffered having rats run around once in a while.

"They'll travel everywhere" she said.

"They're just mini time bombs waiting to explode and infect everyone with the germs they carry. You'll want to get rid of them right away"

Just then, a rat scampered in front of them and squeaked when it saw them.

Finni was the first to react and quickly grabbed a heavy statue that was in the hallway.

"I've got you rat!" he cried as he chucked the statue at the rat.

Everyone jumped out of the way as the statue crashed into the floor and made a huge hole in the wood; clearly missing the rat.

Finni laughed nervously as he rubbed his head.

"I guess I missed…heh, heh"

"What are you laughing about?" Bard shouted.

"You could have killed us!"

Aki glared at the young boy as well.

"Yeah! And that's not the right way to kill rats!"

She pulled out her pistol from her waistband.

"This is how you kill them!"

And so, that was how Aki got tangled up with getting rid of the rats.

/

Sayuri looked up from her work when she heard something crashing.

"What in the world was that?" she asked.

Sebastian sighed as he held the bridge of his nose.

"Probably Finnian breaking something….again" he said.

Sayuri sweat dropped as she heard that. She had witnessed Finni's remarkable strength and found it amazing that such a young boy could lift something so heavy as a horse.

"Hopefully he didn't break anything that was important" she said.

She went back to working on the dessert that Ciel and Rioko would be eating later.

It was a deep dish pie that had fresh apple and raisins in it. When it came to cooking, desserts were one of her specialty. And after that little dinner incident with Mr. Clause, Sayuri refused to let Bard cook in the kitchen while she was here with Rioko.

Ciel and his stomach were grateful for that.

As she placed the pie in the oven, she looked at Sebastian.

"Thank you for letting me make the dessert" she said as she put her hair down.

"I hope you don't mind"

Sebastian just gave her a fake smile.

"Not at all" he said.

"I find it interesting that a guest would want to help out"

That wasn't the only reason why he let her. The other reason was because he wanted to keep a close eye on her. Ever since that night, he had wonder what that aura was that he felt. He knew it wasn't demonic or human. He didn't even know what it was. He wanted to keep tabs on her just for Ciel's protection. He didn't want some unknown creature running around the manor while he wasn't around.

"_No one will lay their fingers on my prey" _he thought.

"_No matter how innocent they look" _

Sayuri just laughed full heartedly as she put her gloves on.

"I guess it is rather odd to see a guest working in someone else's manor" she said.

"But I'd just feel useless if I don't do anything. It comes natural for a maid like me"

Her blues eyes shined with determination as she smiled.

"A maid who can't even do something simple as this isn't worth her salt" she said.

Sebastian looked surprised as she said that.

He couldn't help but smirk at that. Even though he was weary of her, he had to give her credit for being so passionate about her job.

"Well, it seems like you're quite devoted to your job" he said.

Sayuri blushed at that.

"I have been for the past 18 years" she admitted.

"It's the only thing that I'm ever really good at"

That was tiny lie on her part. She was very talented when it came to other things than being a maid, but she wasn't going to brag about herself.

The sound of gunshots made her jump slightly before a scowl appeared on her face. Aki could be heard shouting and swearing as she fired off her pistol.

Sayuri sighed wearily at her sister's behavior.

"_My 'Aki is doing something really stupid right now' senses are tingling" _she thought.

She clapped her hands together and gave Sebastian a weak smile.

"If you'll excuse me, I have a sister to punish" she said.

Sebastian nodded.

"Of course" he said.

When Sayuri turned her back to him, her natural blue eyes turned to bright gold. Her fingers twitched as she prepared to give her sister the torture that was heading her way.

"_She better be hiding because I am not happy with her at all"_

She ran out of the kitchen and left Sebastian to take care of everything.

His eyes narrowed when he felt that strange aura emanating from her again. He didn't know what it was, but he was going to find out soon enough.

/

After the little meeting, Ciel and Rioko retired into the drawing room with Lau, the Chinese merchant and Ciel's aunt, Madame Red as well as her butler Grell.

"Well, that meeting could have gone a lot smoother" Rioko said as she sat in her seat.

Sayuri poured Rioko her tea and calmly reassured her. She didn't find Aki yet, but she set on wringing that pretty little neck of hers.

Ciel took a sip of his tea as well. He was annoyed how the meeting went. Everyone was against the idea that mere children were labeled as the Queen's top units. How a boy could work for the queen's underworld or a girl being able to gather so much information was beyond them. Everyone was eerie about them, especially that Italian fellow, Azzurro Vanel. Rioko noticed that he was a little jumpy when they discussed trying to wipe out the drug trades that were plaguing London.

As Sebastian was pouring tea, Grell kept drooling at the sight of him.

"Grell" Madame Red said.

Grell flinched and stood properly.

"Yes, my lady?" he asked.

"Learn something from Sebastian" Madame Red replied.

She looked serious for a moment, but suddenly broke out into a perverted grin as she groped Sebastian.

"I mean just look at him. This physic. You should quit this country job and come work in the city for me!"

Sebastian jumped at being touched so inappropriately.

Ciel held the bridge of his nose as he watched his aunt acting like an idiot. Rioko snickered at Sebastian's reaction. Sayuri pulled out a fan from her pocket and hid her face so now one would see her smirking. And as for Lau, he simply wore that mysterious smirk on his face.

Ciel coughed to get his aunt's attention.

"Madame Red" he said.

The Madame laughed nervously and stopped what she was doing.

"Oh, sorry. Couldn't help myself" she said.

"Doctor's habit and all"

Rioko rolled her eyes.

"_Nice excuse" _she thought.

Lau placed his tea cup down on the table.

"So do you believe the drug trafficker you're after was one of your guest's today?" he asked.

Ciel shrugged.

"Perhaps" he said.

"Anything is possible" Rioko pointed out.

"Why not just leave the extermination to Lau?" Madame Red asked.

"A rat knows best where a rat's nest is"

Lau stood up from his seat and stood behind Rioko and Ciel's seats.

"I'm but a tamed guinea pig to my lord" he said.

Rioko rolled her eyes at Lau's logic. He, like herself was in charge of the foreign trades for the China region. The only difference was that he traded Opium rather than tea. She had known Lau for a few years now and in all truth and honesty, she really didn't trust him. He always looked liked he had something up his sleeves with the grin he always wore. She only worked with him because he was useful when it came to information (sometimes) and because he allowed her to sell her tea in China.

Lau must have caught her rolling her eyes, because he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"What's the matter, Lady Rioko?" he asked.

"Surely you trust me by now"

Rioko gave him a skeptical look.

"You haven't really done anything that would win my trust" she said.

Lau placed a hand over his heart.

"You wound me, my Lady" he said.

"I would never do anything that would sway my loyalty towards you. You need my help just as much as I need yours"

Rioko was about to say something snooty, but stopped when she saw Sayuri suddenly standing behind Lau.

"Lau" she said calmly.

The Chinese merchant flinched slightly when he heard Rioko's maid behind him.

Slowly, he turned around to see Sayuri standing in front of him, wearing a smile on her face. The fake smile, along with the evil aura emanating from her could make even a grown man shiver with fear.

Rioko nudged her seat away from the two, in fear she would get caught up in whatever was about to unfold.

Last time Lau set Sayuri off, she threw him through one of the paper screens of their home.

Sayuri hid her smile behind her fan.

"Lau" she said calmly.

"Surely I've told you time and again to keep your hands off of Lady Rioko? Do you remember the last time you bothered her with your petty words?"

Lau laughed nervously and stepped away from her.

"Of course not" he said.

"I would never want to suffer the wrath of the great Sayuri. Your temper can be a lot worse than that sister of yours"

Sayuri wore a satisfied grin as she snapped her fan closed.

"Temper?" she asked.

"Please, I'm a pussy cat compared to Aki. You should be lucky that you deal with me and not her. Otherwise you would be six feet into the ground"

Lau just laughed slightly before placing his hand on Ciel's shoulder this time.

"Women can be truly frightening, don't you agree my Lord?"

Now it was Madame Red's turn to flip out of Lau.

She quickly got up from her seat and snatched Ciel from the Chinese Merchant before glaring daggers at him.

"Watch it!" she growled.

"You'd best keep your filthy paws off my darling nephew!"

Lau held his hands up in surrender.

"You wound me" he said.

"I would never harm him in his own home"

"Are you saying you would if you were elsewhere?" Madame Red retorted.

"Careful! You're on thin ice now, sir!"

During the bickering, Ciel managed to wiggled himself out of his aunt's grasp and headed for the door.

"_I can't take any more of this nonsense" _he thought.

Rioko saw him walking out of the room and quickly followed. She had had it up to her head with Lau and Madame Red.

She quickly ran up towards him and walked alongside him.

"Hope you don't mind me tagging along" she said.

"Your aunt is giving me a headache, no offense"

Ciel just waved her off. He was too tired to be arguing with her,

As they were walking, they pasted the Phantomhive staff and Aki trying to 'get rid' of the rats.

"It went that way!" Bard shouted.

"Get it!" Aki cried.

Rioko and Ciel sweat dropped at the sight.

Finni was dressed up as a cat and carried a real one with him, Bard banished a ladle, Mey-Rin had mousetraps snapped on her fingers, and Aki kept firing her gun.

"It's even noisy out here" Ciel muttered.

Rioko patted his shoulder.

"You have my sympathy" she said.

"Master. Lady Rioko"

They turned around to see Sebastian and Sayuri walking towards them.

Sebastian bowed to them.

"Today's dessert is a deep dish pie filled with fresh apples and raisins. It will be ready soon. Would you like to eat with your guests?"

Ciel shook his head.

"Bring it to my study" he said.

"I'd rather eat it with someone who doesn't give me that bad of a headache"

Rioko gave him a cheeky smirk.

"Wow, I don't think I've ever heard you compliment me before" she said.

"I'm touched"

Ciel narrowed his gaze at her.

"Don't get it to your head" he said.

"At least you're not a complete psycho like my aunt"

Rioko laughed as she followed Ciel to his study.

Sayuri smiled as she watched the two of them walk away. She thought it was nice that Rioko was making a friend here in London (even if the latter didn't quite feel the same).

Her smile disappeared when she heard Aki running towards her, chasing a rat down.

"Get back here you little bastard!" she cried.

Sayuri sighed and closed her eyes.

"_Wait for it" _she thought.

She shot her hand out and grabbed Aki by the ear, just as she passed by. The bodyguard let out a yelp and dropped her pistol.

"Sayuri! What the hell?" she exclaimed.

Sayuri gave her sister a stern look.

"What in the world are you doing Aki?" she asked.

She let go of her ear and crossed her arms.

Aki just rubbed the side of her head. If it had been anyone else that did that to her, she would have put the person six feet in the ground, but since it was Sayuri, she let it slide. Her sister got away with most things for various reasons.

"I'm just killing some rats" she replied.

Sayuri held the bridge of her nose. Sometimes she wondered how Aki was her older sister.

"And you thought using a pistol was a good idea because?"

Aki shrugged.

"At least I'll know that they're dead"

Sayuri resisted the urge to strangle her sister. Instead, she gave her a harsh stare.

"Give me your gun right now" she ordered.

Aki gasped. If anyone who knew her, they would know that she never parted with her weapons, especially her pistol. It was like her child.

"B-but how am I suppose to kill the rats?" she asked as an excuse.

Like a ninja, Sebastian snatched the rats that scampered by and put them in Tanaka's net.

Aki sighed and handed her gun to her sister.

"And you better make sure you didn't put any bullet holes in any of the walls" Sayuri warned.

"Otherwise I'll get rid of your favorite cigarettes"

Aki narrowed her eyes dangerously.

"You wouldn't" she said.

Sayuri held up her hand to show that she snatched her sister's cigarettes when she stopped her.

"Try me" she said as she started to crush them.

Aki flipped out and ran down the hallway to make sure she didn't damage anything.

Sayuri turned to Sebastian and bowed deeply to him.

"Please forgive my sister and her stupidity" she said.

"Sometimes I wonder how she's my older sister. If she's done any damage, I'll make sure to pay for the repairs"

Sebastian simply waved her off.

"That won't be necessary" he said.

"This house has suffered a lot more damage by the staff here. Speaking of which…"

He rounded out on the disheveled staff.

"That'll be enough of that. Stop playing and get back to work"

Finni, Mey-Rin and Bard nodded.

"Yes sir" they muttered.

Back with Ciel and Rioko, the young heads entered the study.

Ciel sighed as he closed the door behind him.

"Finally some peace and quiet" he said.

Rioko laughed at him.

"If you think that's nuts, then you should meet my family. You'll want to shoot yourself in the head after words"

Ciel was about to say something, but was cut off when a hand suddenly covered his mouth.

Rioko was about to scream when she saw who it was, but she too had her mouth covered.

Then that's when everything went black.

/

"Young Master" Sebastian called fifteen minutes later.

Sayuri stood next to him with a tray a tea in her hands. She figured after having such a strenuous meeting, Lady Rioko and Ciel would want something soothing to drink.

When they didn't get an answer, Sebastian frowned and slowly opened the door.

What they saw inside made their blood run cold (or at least in Sayuri's case).

Papers were scattered everywhere, chairs were turned over and the window was left open, letting the wind blow everything.

Sayuri was devastated. How could she be so careless as to let her mistress get captured? Not only that, but Ciel was captured as well.

Sebastian sighed and he looked around the room, clearly not as upset as she was.

"This is terrible" he said.

"The tea will go to waste"

Sayuri glared at him. He cared more about the tea than the fact that his master was missing?

Sebastian looked at her calmly.

"Oh, don't think of me so cruelly" he said.

"The young master is always getting kidnapped. This is nothing"

"_Nothing?" _she thought.

"_His master and Lady Rioko were kidnapped, and he thinks this is nothing?"_

She sighed and closed her eyes. She doubted she would be getting any help from her college to saving Ciel and Rioko.

It would seem that she would have to take matters into her own hands.

Opening her eyes, she gave Sebastian a cold stare.

"Since the tea is more important than your Master's life, I'll go rescue them myself"

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. He had been planning to get Ciel and Rioko already, but he was amused to see that she wanted to do the same thing.

"Oh? And do you know where they might be?" he asked.

Sayuri scoffed and spun on her heel.

"No. But standing around doing nothing isn't going make things easier"

She stormed out of the room and went to find her sister. If anyone could find Rioko, it would be Aki.

/

Aki wore a scowl on her face when she saw Sayuri running towards her. She was pretty ticked off that she had to make sure she didn't ruin anything so her precious cigarettes were safe.

"I didn't leave any bullet holes in any of the stupid walls" she spat.

Sayuri shook her head and tugged on her sister's arm when she got close enough.

"I don't have time for that! I need your help!" she cried.

Aki raised an eyebrow. What was up with this? One minute, her sister was chewing her head off for causing a scene and then the next, she was begging for her help?

There was only one reason why this would happen.

"She's not here, is she?" she asked but made it sound like a statement.

Sayuri nodded.

"Neither is Sir Phantomhive" she said.

"I went into the study to give them their afternoon tea, and the whole room was a mess! I don't know where they could have been taken!"

Aki sighed.

"I have to do everything, don't I?"

She closed her eyes and concentrated on everything around her. She tried to zone in on any foreign auras that weren't supposed to be around here.

When she sense one, her eyes snapped open to reveal yellow orbs instead of amber.

"Outside. Quick!"

The two females ran out of the manor to catch the culprit that had anything to do with kidnapping their beloved mistress.

/

Aki scanned the grounds for the perpetrator. It was kind of difficult seeing as the manor was located right next to a forest where anything could be hiding there.

"Well, Aki?" Sayuri asked.

Aki shushed her and listened closely for anything strange. It dead quiet around the manor. Not even a bird chirped away. It was really creepy.

The silence was broken when she heard the sound of a gun going off and glass being broken.

"That way!" she cried.

They ran through the thicket of trees and watched the shooter running from the scene. They could hear cursing as they ran.

When they came into a clearing, they saw that the shooter had transportation ready and jumped into a car before driving off.

"Stop!" Sayuri cried.

Aki scowled at her.

"You think they're going to listen to you?" she asked.

"Come on. Let's get them"

Their eyes glowed as they speed off after the car. If they were human, the car would have been out of their reach by now. Luckily for them, they didn't have that problem so they were able to catch up to the car real quick.

Aki smirked darkly when she got closer to the car.

"It's been so long since I had to torture someone for information" she said to herself.

Claws grew out of her hand as a reaction.

She went to reach out for it, but was stopped when a black blur zipped past them and slammed into the car. The car skidded off the road and almost fell off a cliff had it not been for the black blur than suddenly landed on the hood of the car.

Sayuri and Aki gasped when they saw that it was Sebastian.

The butler gave them a smirk when he saw their stunned faces.

"Hello there, ladies" he said.

"I didn't expect to see you here"

Aki narrowed her eyes. There was no way that a mere butler like him would have been able to catch up to a speeding car like that.

That is, if he was human.

As she looked closer at him, she noticed that his aura was a little off and not human. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sayuri was thinking the same thing.

Sebastian's eyes briefly flashed to red, knowing what the two of them were thinking. This just proved his theory that they weren't human at all. Otherwise they wouldn't have known he was a demon.

He flashed them a smirk.

"If you'll excuse me" he said.

He turned back to the two cowering figures that were trapped in the teetering car. Both looked scared out of their mind and wondered if they were going to live or not.

Sebastian flashed them a dark smirk.

"I believe you know the whereabouts of my master and his guest?" he asked.

He noticed one of the passengers was holding onto a phone and heard someone talking on the other end.

Smirking darkly, he snatched the phone and held it to his ear.

"Hello" he said.

"I represent the Phantomhive estate. Would my master and Lady Rioko happen to be there?"

He heard whoever that was on the other end gasp slightly.

The next thing he heard was what he wanted to hear.

"_Woof"_

"_Get me out of here!"_

"Very good, my lord and lady" Sebastian said.

"I'll be there to pick you both up momentarily"

With that, he snapped the cord that connected the phone to the car.

The passengers shook like a leaf when Sebastian looked at them.

"Thank you for letting me use your telephone" he said as he tossed it at them.

"By the way, I have a few questions to ask you"

Sayuri and Aki had a feeling they would get the answers they were looking for with this, so they moved closer.

Aki placed her foot on the hood of the car and rocked it slightly to show that she would kick them off, including Sebastian if they didn't answer.

"First, who is your master?"

The passengers gulped slightly. They knew better than to rat out their master, but since their lives were on the line, they really didn't care at this point.

"H-he's Azzurro Vanel of the Ferro family!" they blurted.

"He has a hideout in the Northern East End!"

Sayuri and Aki thought as much. Rioko did say he was a little jumpy when they talked about the drug dealers in London.

"He probably didn't want to get terminated by Ciel" Aki said.

"W-we only work for him!" the passengers pleaded.

Sebastian smirked darkly.

"Oh, excuse me" he said.

"I'll let you get on your way then"

With that, he jumped off the car.

Aki laughed darkly as she kicked the car over the cliff.

"Have a nice trip"

Sebastian turned his back to the cliff as the car exploded. He pulled out his pocket watch to check the time.

"Oh my, look at the time" he said.

"If I don't hurry, I'll be late for dinner"

Aki sweat dropped.

"_He cares more about having dinner on time than saving that little brat?" _she thought.

Sayuri looked like she understood. A proper butler would have everything done on time, no matter what type of delays were presented.

Sebastian pocketed his watched and looked at his two companions.

"I suggests we get a move on before it's too late" he said.

"Just follow me. I know where to go"

The sisters looked at each other for a moment and sighed. They simply had no choice but to comply.

Running away from the explosion, they sprinted down the dirt road where their owners were surely being held.

/

Aki and Sayuri kept giving Sebastian suspicious looks as they ran. They found it rather odd that the head butler of the Phantomhive estate would be able to stop a speeding car so quick and managed to keep it upright with his own weight. That was totally usual. There was only one way to conclude this.

"You're not human…are you?" Aki said.

Sebastian peered over his shoulder and wore that fake smile of his.

"What makes you say that?" he asked.

Aki scoffed.

"Oh, get over it. We know you're not" she said.

"As if a human could be as fast as a speeding car and manage to keep it upright without it falling off a cliff. What kind of butler are you?"

Something dark flashed across Sebastian's eyes.

"Just one _hell _of a butler" he replied.

A tick mark appeared on Aki's forehead.

Sebastian simply smirked and looked forward/

"But then again…I could say the same for the both of you" he said.

"You aren't human either"

Sayuri smirked weakly.

"So you noticed, huh?" she asked.

"Nothing gets past me" Sebastian replied.

"A butler who can't even detect something that isn't human, isn't worth his salt"

Aki snorted.

"I guess there's more to you than meets the eye" she said.

Sebastian chuckled quietly.

"You could say that" he said.

"But the thing that puzzles me is your auras. They aren't human, yet they aren't demonic. If that is the case, might I ask what are you?"

Sayuri smirked at him and pressed a finger to her lips.

"It's a secret"

/

When they made it to Vanel's hideout, they weren't surprised to see it heavily guarded with bodyguards.

"Why am I not surprised?" Aki said.

"But then again, where would the fun be?"

Sayuri sighed as her sister's obsession with fighting.

Sebastian pulled out his pocket watch.

"We still have some time, but I'd rather we finish this up before it gets too late"

Aki smirked darkly and cracked her knuckles.

"Leave everything to me" she said.

She jumped over the fence that surrounded the hideout and stood in the middle of the bodyguards.

"Hey, this is a pretty decent looking mansion" she said.

The bodyguards jumped when they realized they let someone slip past them.

They quickly aimed their weapons at her. Aki smirked at that.

"That's a pretty nice set of guns you have there" she said.

She suddenly appeared behind one of the bodyguards and grabbed the gun he was holding.

"Mind if I use them?"

The bodyguard screamed when she bent his arm the wrong way and used his body as a shield while she fired off the gun. When she ran out of bullets, she zipped past and grabbed another gun from someone and fired off round after round.

"Ah, the sounds of bullets flying through the air is music to my ears" she sighed wistfully.

She blew smoke away from the barrel when she saw all the bodyguards down.

"Sometimes you scare me, Aki" Sayuri said.

Aki shrugged and tossed the empty gun on the ground.

"Hey, life would be boring if I wasn't" she said.

She went up to the doors and kicked them open.

"Now let's go save some kids"

Sayuri sighed and looked at Sebastian.

"Be grateful that you don't have any siblings" she said.

Sebastian just gave her that smirk as they walked into the mansion.

/

Sebastian opened a set of grand doors that lead to a huge dining room. The table was set up with the finest china, but there was not a single soul in sight.

Sayuri stepped further into the room and looked around.

"I wonder where they could be?" she asked.

Sebastian heard movement from upstairs and quickly pulled Sayuri behind her when a shower of bullets came down on them. Luckily, he brought a metal patter as a shield, otherwise they would have had bullet holes in them right now.

Sayuri blushed when she realized how close she was to Sebastian. She had never been near a man so close before. Especially a handsome one.

She quickly shook that thought aside and went into action.

She pulled out her fan that she had out before and snapped it open.

"Allow me" she said.

She pressed a little switch that was at the end and had a set of blades pop out.

Smirking darkly, she flung her fan like a boomerang and watched as it decapitated the shooters that were upstairs.

"Glad to see that you still carry that thing around" Aki said as she dodged a shooter.

The fan zipped back into Sayuri's hands and snapped shut when it was of no further use.

"You can never be too prepared" she said.

Just then, more shooters came into the room.

"Man, this never gets old" Aki said.

"I have my work cut out for me"

Sebastian stepped forward.

"I believe I let you two have all the fun before" he said.

"So this time, it's my turn"

Aki raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

"Whatever you say, butler" she said.

Sebastian smirked and pulled out of all things, Silverware from his sleeves.

"WTF?" Aki muttered.

Sebastian moved like and ninja and flipped through the air while he impaled the silverware into the shooters skulls before landing on a chandelier. He looked like a bat with the way he was hanging upside down.

"My goodness…that took a little more time than I thought it would" he said to himself.

He pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time.

"5:43"

He jumped off and landed on the table.

"I'll have to hurry if I want to make it in time before dinner"

All of a sudden, Aki's foot collided with Sebastian's head.

"Instead of worrying about your fricken dinner, why don't you worry about getting Rioko and your bratty master back alive!" she snapped.

Sayuri was appalled when she saw her sister beating on Sebastian.

"Onee-chan, stop it!" she said.

Aki sighed and stopped bothering Sebastian.

"Stupid ass butler" she muttered before walking away.

Sayuri quickly walked up to Sebastian and bowed deeply to him.

"Please pardon my sister" she pleaded.

"She's just really worried about Lady Rioko and just wants to get her back safely. She didn't mean any harm, I swear!"

Sebastian looked at her for a moment before nodding his head slightly.

"It's alright" he said.

"I understand what you and your sister must be feeling right about now. I'm worried about the young master as well, but I think he would find that to be improper. I'm sure they're alright"

Sayuri gave him a weak smile.

"I hope so too" she said.

They quickly followed Aki and hoped that they were getting closer to finding their lost masters.

/

They came to a stop when they came to set of grand doors.

"They're in here" Aki said.

"I can sense them"

Sebastian went to open the door, but Aki grabbed his hand.

"Easy, Eager McBeaver" she said.

"They're not the only ones in there. Vannel's in there as well and a few other guys"

"Are they armed?" Sayuri asked.

Aki shook her head.

"Not a clue. But I wouldn't chance it"

Sebastian nodded.

"I see, well in that case"

He gently pushed them aside so they weren't facing the door.

"Let me go in first. It would be devastating to see two lovely young woman get shot down"

Sayuri blushed while Aki gagged.

"Just get a move on. Who knows what that Vannel creep has in mind"

Sebastian smirked and slowly opened the door.

Vannel flinched and aimed his gun at him when he entered the room.

He smirked darkly and bowed.

"I have come to retrieve my master and Lady Rioko" he said.

Vannel lowered his gun slightly when he saw that Sebastian was simply a butler.

"This is a surprise" he said.

"I was imagining a brawny giant, but you're just a milksop in a tailcoat"

He pointed his gun back at Sebastian.

"Who are you? You're not just a butler"

Sebastian stood up properly.

"No, I am merely one hell of a butler…that's all" he said.

He glanced behind Vannel to see Ciel and Rioko tied up. Ciel looked like he got hit around quite a bit while Rioko sported a bruised lip.

"I don't really intend to fight you" Vannel said.

"However"

He pulled Ciel and Rioko by the hair before aiming a gun at them.

"You better have brought the goods" he warned.

Sebastian wore a grim look on his face when he saw them being held at gun point.

"Of course" he said as he reached into his pocket.

He pulled a type of key out and held it up.

"Here it is"

The next thing that happened made everyone's heart drop.

One minute, Sebastian was standing there with the key in his hand, then next, he had a bullet go right through his head.

Apparently, those bodyguards that Aki sense had hid themselves behind a tapestry.

Aki had to cover Sayuri's mouth so she wouldn't scream. She was so horrified when Sebastian was gunned down numerous times.

"Sebastian!" Rioko cried.

Sebastian simply fell to the ground lifelessly in a pool of blood.

Vannel laughed at Sebastian's corpse.

"Sorry, milksop, but I win this game!" he cried.

"I always carry a trump card"

He used his gun to remove Ciel's eye patch.

"Now that he's out of the way, I'm sure I'll make a pretty penny by selling you two"

Rioko made a face as she struggled.

"Get away from me, you creep!" she cried.

"As if I would go with some pervert!"

Sayuri's hands started to turn into claws as she heard what Vannel was up to. Since Sebastian wasn't here to save Ciel, it looked like it was up to her.

Vannel laughed as he waved his gun really close to Ciel's face.

Rioko was resisting the urge to tremble. She had been through a lot of scary stuff as the head of the Junshinto family, but nothing ever like this. She wondered how Ciel could stay so calm in this situation.

The young Earl simply looked at Sebastian's body.

"How long are you going to play around?" he asked no one in particular.

"How long do you intend to play dead?"

Everyone raised an eyebrow. Who was Ciel talking to?

"Goodness gracious…"

Vannel whipped his head towards Sebastian's body. He let out a cry when he saw the butler starting to move.

"Should have known" Aki muttered to Sayuri.

"Just proves that he's not human"

Sayuri just watched in amazement as Sebastian slowly rose from the ground in a creepy manner.

"What the hell?" Rioko cried.

The bodyguards backed away in fear when Sebastian stood upright.

"Today's guns are so much more efficient…quiet different than the guns of a hundred years ago"

He coughed up a mouthful of bullets into his hand to further creep everyone out.

"I'll give these back to you"

He flung the bullets at the bodyguards and smirked when they went through their heads.

Rioko was stunned by what she was seeing. One minute, Sebastian was on the ground dead and now he was alive chucking bullets that were lodged into him.

"_What the hell is going on here?" _she thought.

"_He almost acts like Sayuri and Aki"_

Sebastian sighed when he looked at his tattered jacket.

"Oh dear, my clothes are full of holes" he said.

"That's what you get for fooling around, you idiot" Ciel retorted.

Sebastian just smirked at him.

"You're looking well, young master" he said.

"And I see Lady Rioko is doing fine as well"

As he walked towards them, Vannel pointed the gun at Ciel's head.

"D-don't move!" he cried.

Sebastian just ignored him but stopped.

"You look like you're 'wrapped up' at the moment" he said sarcastically.

Ciel glared at him.

"Hurry it up" he said.

"This guys' breath stinks"

"But if I come closer, you and Lady Rioko will be killed" Sebastian pointed out.

Ciel's gaze hardened.

"Do you intend to break our contract?" he asked.

Rioko raised an eyebrow.

"_Contract?" _she thought.

"_What contract?"_

Sebastian bowed to them.

"Of course not" he said.

"I am your faithful servant"

Vannel shook as his finger went around the trigger.

"What the hell kind of nonsense is this?" he cried.

"Young master" Sebastian said, completely ignoring Vannel.

"Haven't I taught you how to coax me into things?"

Ciel sighed in frustration. He knew what to do, but he didn't want Rioko to see. No one was supposed to know about their contract. However, since they were being held at gunpoint, he didn't really have an option.

He quickly looked at Rioko and gave her a harsh stare.

"You do not repeat what you're about to see" he warned.

Rioko raised an eyebrow.

"Huh?"

Ciel looked back at Sebastian. He opened his right eye to reveal a pentagram etched within his eye.

"This is an order!" he cried.

"Save us now!"

That set Vannel off.

"Shut up!"

Rioko closed her eyes tightly when she heard the trigger being pulled. She didn't want to see Ciel's lifeless body next to her.

When she didn't feel his body slump next to her, she cracked her eye open, only to have them shot open when she saw that he was alive and alright.

Vannel was shocked as well.

"W-why isn't he dead?" he asked.

"Are you looking for this?"

Everyone jumped when they saw Sebastian standing next to them, holding a bullet between his fingers.

"Let me give it back to you"

He dropped the bullet into Vannel's pocket. Just as he did that, Vannel's arm twisted backwards on its own and made him release Ciel and Rioko.

Sayuri rushed into the room when she knew her mistress was safe.

"Lady Rioko!" she cried.

She got down on her knees and hugged Rioko close to her.

"Oh, thank goodness you're alright, my lady" she said.

Rioko smiled, knowing that her maid would be there to save her.

Sebastian picked up Ciel and placed him on a chair.

"This game wasn't much fun" Ciel said.

Sebastian just smirked as he ripped the binds off his master.

Vannel sat up with difficulty and looked at Sebastian with desperation.

"Wait! Come serve me" he pleaded.

"Be my bodyguard and I'll pay you five times what he does now. No, ten times! And you can have all the liquor and women you want!"

Aki scoffed and dug her boot into the man's head.

"You people disgust me" she spat.

Sebastian tugged the last of Ciel's restraints off before looking at Vannel.

"It's a tempting offer, but I have no interest is such tasteless things" he said.

His eyes suddenly glowed bright red.

"You see…I'm simply one _hell _of a butler" he said.

The air around them suddenly grew cold. Rioko had the resist the urge to shiver as she flexed her free wrists.

All eyes were on Sebastian as he pulled off his glove.

A pentagram, similar to Ciel's was painted on his hand along with black fingernails.

"As long as my young master holds the contract, I am his loyal lapdog" he said.

"I am bound to my master by sacrifice, a wish, and a contract. Until the day that I take his soul"

Sayuri was stunned. She had no idea that she was associating with a demon until just now. She had heard stories about humans making deals with a demon in exchange for their souls. She never realized that this kind, gifted butler was really a demon working for his next meal.

It made her skin crawl, but not in a bad way.

Aki scoffed as she stuck a cigarette in her mouth.

"Should have known" she muttered.

Ciel looked at Rioko. She hadn't said a single word since he activated his contract. That worried him. No one, under any circumstances was suppose to know his deal with Sebastian. Not even his servants knew. This was top secret. And the fact that the Queen's Messenger Bird witnessed this was bad news.

"Rioko" he said.

Rioko looked at him.

"You must never tell anyone what you saw today" Ciel warned.

"No one is to know about my contract with Sebastian. If you do tell anyone, I will not hesitate to kill you"

Rioko blinked her eyes and looked at him calmly.

Ciel was stunned when he heard her chuckle.

"This is so insane" she said.

"To think that I would get rescued by a demon"

She stood up and brushed herself off.

"Don't worry, I'll keep my mouth shut. This is way too interesting not to mention insane to talk about" she said.

"Sebastian saved my life. It's the least I can do. Besides…"

She got real close to his face.

"You don't know how much we have in common because of this"

Ciel backed away slightly and gave her a raised eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

Rioko just smirked.

"It's a secret" she said.

She looked at Sayuri.

"Let's get out of here. I'm sick of this place"

Sayuri nodded.

"Yes, my lady" she said.

Sebastian picked up Ciel and walked out of the room with Sayuri and Rioko in tow.

Aki turned to Vannel and smirked darkly.

"Not to just shut you up for good" she said.

Vannel screamed when he saw her eyes glow yellow.

Then everything went black for him.

/

"That was quite an experience" Rioko said.

They slowly made their way through the mansion.

"Although it was quite exciting. Being kidnapped and rescued by a demon. Now that's something"

Ciel's eyes harden at that.

"You must stay quiet about that!" he hissed.

"I would never have let you known if our lives weren't on the line"

Rioko just waved him off.

"Please, I've seen scarier stuff than this" she said.

"You won't believe what we have back in Japan. Spirits everywhere. Some people can see them, others can't. Not to mention we have a few demons here and there"

She gave him a smirk.

"You could say that I'm used to this"

Ciel didn't say anything. He was relieve that Rioko would keep this a secret, but he still didn't fully trust her.

"Not a word" he warned.

Rioko nodded.

"I know, I know. I'll take it to the grave with me if I have to" she said.

Sayuri smiled weakly. Despite this being a serious matter, she was glad that Rioko and Ciel were getting along. She guessed when it came to serious matters, people tended to get along better with each other.

Aki cracked her neck as they headed towards the front doors.

"Man. I'm going to be downing a bottle of Sake when we get home" she said.

Rioko sweat dropped.

"All you ever think about is smoking and getting drunk" she said.

Aki glared at her.

"You got a lot of nerve to be saying that to me after I saved your ass" she said.

Rioko scoffed.

"You? If I recall, it was Sebastian who saved me. Speaking of which.."

She bowed to Sebastian.

"Thank you for saving me, Sebastian"

The butler smirked and bowed as well.

"You are most welcome, my lady" he said.

Aki just scoffed and pushed the doors opened. The sight she saw before her made her drop her cigarette.

"Oh crap" she muttered.

"What is it?" Sayuri asked.

She gasped when she saw dozens of bodyguards surround the front of the grounds. It seemed that Vannel didn't want to risk the chance of them escaping.

"It seems my work is never done" Sebastian said.

Rioko summarized their situation. Now that she knew that Sebastian was a demon, she wondered if he would be able to kill all of them off. She figured that he could, but since Ciel was pretty beat up, he had to take care of him.

"_Looks like I have to take matters into my own hands" _she thought.

She looked at her servants.

"Sayuri. Aki"

They both looked at her.

"Yes, my lady?"

Rioko wore a determined look on her face.

"Get rid of these guys" she ordered.

"You can go full out if you must"

Both set of eye went wide at that order. Going full out meant…

"Are you sure, my lady?" Sayuri asked.

"Do you want to scare the Phantomhive brat?" Aki added.

Rioko smirked ruefully.

"I doubt it won't be as bad as having a demon butler" she said.

"You have my permission"

At those word, both of them smirked darkly. They both bowed deeply in approval.

"Yes…my lady" they said in unison.

When they stood up, their eyes weren't their normal color anymore.

Ciel gasped when he saw glowing gold and yellow eyes.

"What in the world?"

Sebastian's eyes narrowed when they produced fangs and claws.

"It's been ages since we've been in these forms" Sayuri said.

"Let' enjoy it while we can" Aki added.

Their bodies transformed drastically.

Their clothes seemed to have melted away and almost became beast like. Sayuri's skin changed to a powder blue while Aki's went to a fierce orange. Their hair changed into great manes and flared out around their heads.

Ciel had never seen anything like it before. To see two normal looking servants transforming into these monsters was terrifying. Not even Sebastian had done that.

Aki flashed a toothy grin when she finished transforming.

"Finally I can have some real fun" she said.

Sayuri ran a clawed hand through her mane like hair.

"Try not to go overboard" she warned.

The bodyguards trembled at the sight. It was as if they just saw a pair of demons emerge from the pits of hell. There was no way they were going to stick around for this.

They quickly scampered towards the gates, but the servants were faster.

Aki appeared near the entrance and grinned maliciously at them.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked.

"Things just started heating up"

She spewed fire from her mouth and engulfed everything in its flames. The bodyguards screamed in agony as they were burnt alive.

Sayuri gathered her own group of prey and trapped them within her own bewitching spell. She floated past them and hypnotized them with her looks. She wore a cold grin on her face when she had them where she wanted.

"Just relax" she cooed.

"It'll all be over"

She blew a kiss at them and encased their bodies in ice. she floated towards a man and flicked her finger at him, causing the ice around him to crumble, along with him. the rest follow suit as they crumbled within the ice.

Ciel watched as Rioko's servants slaughtered everyone within their path. He had never seen anything like it before.

"What are they?" he asked.

"Espers" Rioko replied calmly.

"Beings that were created by fallen angel. They are not human, nor are they demons. They're simply creatures that are made by godly creations"

Sebastian's eyes followed the maids every moves.

He had never seen an Esper before, nor did he ever hear about them. This had to be why he couldn't pin point their scents. They were beings that did not belong of this world or in the otherworld.

"_Interesting" _he thought.

When every last body guard was butchered, Sayuri and Aki went back to their original forms.

"Man, that really hit the spot" Aki said.

"I never realized how long it's been since I've been in that form" Sayuri added.

Rioko smiled. She was glad that she could make her servants happy.

"Glad to see that you had fun" she said.

"Now then…"

She turned around and faced Ciel. She smirked when she saw his stunned reaction.

"I told you that you and I have a lot in common" she said.

"You're not the only who has an enchanted servant"

Ciel gulped slightly. He didn't want to admit how much the scene disturbed him.

"I can see that" he said.

"I guess I can trust you to keep Sebastian a secret"

Rioko nodded.

"As if I would brag about that" she said.

"However, since you saw what my servants really are, you have to keep this a secret as well. I don't tell about yours, you don't tell about mine. Deal"

Ciel looked as she held her hand out.

He sighed and shook it.

"Deal" he muttered.

Sebastian simply watched this unfold. He found it interesting that he was associating with being he had never heard of. Not to mention dangerous. Since he didn't know what an Esper really was, he didn't know if they would be a threat to Ciel.

There was no way he was going to let anything get in the way of his meal.

"_I'm going to have to keep a watchful eye on them" _

He thought.

He suddenly remembered that they were short on time and quickly pulled out his pocket watch. Flipping it open, he hoped that they still had time, however the time that he saw made his head slump.

6:35.

Rioko raised an eyebrow at Sebastian's behavior.

"What's wrong with you, Sebastian?"

The demon butler suddenly went into a bow.

"Young master" he said.

"I have failed terribly at my duties as a butler….I'm afraid dinner will not be served"

/

**A/N: now you all know what Sayuri and Aki really are. And in case you're wondering, no, they're not Espers from Final Fantasy 6. They may look like them, but they're not it.**

**I hope you guys liked this chapter. Sorry if the fight scenes weren't any good, they're not my best. We'll get into more about what kind of Espers they really are later on, but in the meantime, please review and tell me what you think.**

**Ja ne!**


	7. Omnipotent

Chapter 6: Omnipotent

**A/N: I'm glad I got a few people who liked the idea of Sayuri and Aki being Espers! I thought it would be nice to see some different magical creatures besides demons and angels. I thought why not add a little spice to the drama? I also have pictures of what they look like in their Esper forms on my Deviantart page that's linked to my home page if you want to look.**

**We've now reach the part where we see the ever annoying Lizzie (shivers) I swear, just hearing her in English and Japanese gives me a headache. How Ciel puts up with her is beyond me. If I were him, I'd kill myself.**

**Anyway, besides that little rant, let's get on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Black Butler; I just own my Oc's. (If I did, I would have Sebastian all to myself)**

**Enjoy!**

/

After that little incident at the Ferro mansion, life went back to normal for everyone…well, almost normal.

Now that Ciel and Rioko knew about each other's secrets, they were very keen to find out more about themselves. They wouldn't bluntly ask each other about why the other had a servant that wasn't human, but they picked up bits and pieces along the way.

Ciel surprised Rioko by letting her come over for breakfast each day instead of trying to sneak in. it seemed that since she would keep about Sebastian being a demon a secret, he started to trust her a little bit more. That and he wanted to find out what an Esper really was. He knew that there were angels and demons on this world, but he had never heard of an Esper. Seeing Sayuri and Aki transform into these monstrous creatures really shook him to the core. If there such things as them out there in the world, then what else was there?

He figured he would get his answers since his college was the Queen's Messenger Bird. Rioko was bound to know a lot of things.

It seemed that fate was bringing these two children closer and closer together.

/

It was another slow morning at the Phantomhive residence. The grounds were foggy and the clouds covered the sun. It would have been gloomy had it not been for one certain person.

Screams rang through the halls as Grell held on desperately to the runaway tea cart that he was on. The poor butler was a complete mess as he screamed.

Ciel and Rioko looked up from their meal when he barged into the dining room and crashed into Finni, dropping a hot pot of tea on the poor boy's shirt.

The young gardener shot up and yanked on his shirt so it wouldn't burn his skin as badly.

"Hot, hot, hot!" he cried.

Grell gasped in horror when he saw what he did.

"Oh! I'm so, so sorry!" he cried.

"Here, let me clean it up!"

He went to grab a napkin that was on the table, but ended up grabbing the tablecloth and pulled everything down with it.

Rioko sighed.

"Well, there goes the fine china" she muttered.

Grell screamed like a girl when he saw what he had done.

"Oh no!"

Aki held the bridge of her nose to suppress a headache. If there was one thing she hated (or rather a lot of things) it was loud, obnoxious people. If Sayuri and Rioko didn't order her, she would have killed every single person who gave her a headache. But if that happened, then half of the world's population might be cut in half.

Rioko sighed and looked at Ciel.

"Remind me again why you let this nut job stay?" she asked.

Ciel sighed as he remembered the 'favor' Madame Red asked of him.

"_Oh Ciel darling, I have a problem. Grell is hopelessly incompetent . Could you do me a tiny favor and have Sebastian train him to be a decent butler? Can't refuse your favorite aunt, can you?"_

Rioko sweat dropped. She never knew just how whipped Ciel was until just then.

"_If it were me, I'd tell them to take a hike" _she thought.

Ciel held the bridge of his nose.

"I thought Sebastian would be the only one troubled, but I never expected that I would be affected by it as well"

Rioko patted him on the shoulder.

"You have my sympathy" she said.

Sayuri sighed as she placed new plates of food in front of the young masters. She pitied Grell, but she thought that he was way too clumsy to be a butler. Only a fool would ride on a tea cart and pull down a table cloth that contained expensive china.

Grell was trembling as the other servants glared at him for making a mess. Sure, they trashed the manor a few times themselves, but to do it all at once was ridiculous.

"I'm so sorry for causing all this trouble" Grell said.

"I don't know I can apologize"

He suddenly gasped.

"Wait! That's it!"

He pulled out a knife and held it to his throat.

"The only thing I can do now is die! I shall atone with my death!"

Bard and Mey-Rin flipped out when they saw him point a knife at his throat.

"Calm down a second!" Bard shouted.

"Um, should we take the knife away?" Mey-Rin asked.

A tick mark appeared on Aki's forehead.

"What do you think?" she said sarcastically.

Sebastian went over and placed a hand on Grell's shoulder.

"There will be no need for that" he said.

Grell looked up at him with teary eyes.

Sebastian just gave him one of his fake smirks.

"Just think of the horrible mess you would make" he said.

"It would take hours to clean up all the blood"

Grell had sparkles in his eyes as he looked up at Sebastian.

"Oh, Sebastian. You're so very kind" he said.

Aki scoffed and took the knife from him,

"If you're going to kill yourself, try not to make it so sloppy" she said.

"If you're planning on killing yourself, try to make it clean like hanging yourself or put a bullet to your head. That's a way of going out on style"

Grell's eyes seemed to sparkle even more.

"You're so thoughtful, Aki" he said.

"To want to help me out like that"

Rioko sweat dropped at the scene.

"How is that being nice to him?" she whispered to Ciel.

Ciel shrugged.

"You've got me" he said.

Sebastian picked up the tea pot that Grell had prepared and frowned at the contents inside.

"Now what I'd like to know is how you could ever think it was acceptable to serve the master and Lady Rioko such weak tea?" he asked.

"Watch me. A spoonful for each person and one more for the pot. Finally, add half a pint of boiling water and let it sit until dark"

All of the servants took notes on this so they would know what to do next time.

Sayuri handed Rioko and Ciel their tea when it was cool enough to drink.

Ciel grimaced when he tasted what brand it was.

"Why isn't this Earl Grey?" he asked.

"Because until you pay your debt you owe me, you're not getting a single cup of Earl Grey" Rioko said.

"You didn't think I would still let you have the teas you owe me when you haven't even bothered to pay?"

A tick mark appeared on Ciel's forehead.

"You cheeky little…" he muttered.

Sebastian pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time.

"Master, are you ready?" he asked.

"It is almost time. I have the carriage waiting out in the front"

Ciel sighed and put his tea cup down.

"Fine" he said.

He stood up and looked at Rioko.

"Well? Aren't you coming?" he asked.

Rioko raised an eyebrow.

"You want me to come with you on your little errands?" she asked.

Ciel nodded.

"You didn't honestly expect me to let you stay in my home while I'm not around, did you?" he asked.

Rioko wore a small smirk.

"If you did, I would have thought you lost it" she said as she stood up.

"I'll get ready. Just let me fetch my coat"

Sebastian looked at the Phantomhive staff.

"As for the rest of you, I want this place absolutely spotless, understand?" he ordered.

"And Grell, just sit and relax so you don't cause any more trouble…oh, and if you do think about killing yourself, please do it outside"

Rioko looked at Aki.

"Stay here as well" she said.

"I know you don't like going out on errands, so just stay here in case Grell tries to kill himself and so nothing gets damaged around here"

"And don't try to kill anyone" Sayuri warned.

Aki snorted at that.

"No promises there" she said.

Sayuri just sighed.

"You're hopeless sometimes" she said as she followed Rioko.

Aki just rolled her eyes and leaned against the wall.

"Great, now I have to babysit" she muttered.

Her eye twitched when she saw Grell scoot closer to her out of the corner of her eye.

A tick mark appeared on her forehead when she rounded on him.

"Stay out of my personal space, four eyes!" she snapped.

/

The shopping district was crowded with people as they went from store to store for products.

Sayuri walked behind Rioko as she looked around and asked Ciel which store was for which. She thought it was really cute the way her eyes sparkled when she saw something new. She may have been the head of the Junshinto family, but she was still a child. She needed to experience things like girls around her age did.

She stifled her giggle, when she noticed that Sebastian was looking at her.

She sighed. After he saw that Aki and herself were Espers, he was very protective around Ciel. It as if he thought that they were going to steal his mater right in front of him or something.

She understood though. He did have a contract with the young boy after all. After he finished whatever task Ciel gave to him, he would be able to devour his soul. While she personally didn't like the sound of it, she knew that she shouldn't complain. Everyone had a certain way to survive and if eating souls was a demons way to live, then so be it.

She turned and gave Sebastian a fake smile.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"You've been looking at me since we left the manor. If you want to say something, then just say it"

Sebastian looked taken aback for a second before he regain his composure.

"Very well, since you asked, I'll tell you" he said.

"I won't allow anyone to get their hands on my master"

Sayuri blinked for a moment before breaking out into a fit of giggles.

Sebastian looked confused as she continued to giggle. She smirked as she wiped a tear from her eye.

"Oh, this is so funny" she said.

"You think I'll steal your master and devour his soul. Oh, that's rich"

She quickly composed herself and calmed down.

"You don't have to worry about that. Espers don't eat souls, if that's what you think" she said.

Sebastian simply wore a serious look on his face. He didn't have to worry about his meal being stolen, but that didn't mean he wouldn't put his guard down.

"I would say I'm relieved, but I'm afraid I say that I can't" he said.

"I don't really know what an Esper is, so I don't fully trust you for obvious reasons"

Sayuri smirked and nodded.

"That's understandable" she said.

"You wouldn't want to put your trust into the wrong hands after all"

She turned and looked ahead to see Ciel pointed to various stores and explaining them to Rioko.

"As for what I really am, I really don't know myself" she said.

"I know that I'm and Esper, but that's just it. I lost my memories about 18 years ago, so you're better off asking Aki than me. But, from what she's told me, Espers are beings that are made from fallen angels. When god cast them out of heaven, they just couldn't accept the banishment and decided to create their own army of enchanted beings. They made them in hopes of rebelling against god and getting back into heaven"

She sighed and looked up at the clouded sky.

"But, since I have no recollection of being part of any rebellion, I can only assume that my sister and I managed to get out of that mess since we've been serving the Junshinto family for 18 years. If not, then I would have remembered something by now"

She gave Sebastian a weak smile.

"I suppose this is confusing you" she said.

"Sorry if it doesn't answer your question, but that's what happens when you ask someone who has a memory loss problem"

Sebastian mulled her words over. He knew she wasn't lying, otherwise he would have detected it.

So he wasn't going to get answers about their little guest, just yet.

"_Very well" _he thought.

"_I suppose waiting is the only options I have at the moment. Fortunately the young master hasn_'_t bothered finishing up his business with Lady Rioko just yet"_

They headed into a cane store since Ciel's new cane was ready.

The store clerk smiled when he saw that he had customers.

"Oh, hello boy" he said to Ciel.

"Did your father send you for something?"

Ciel growled slightly at the remark, knowing that it was ridiculous that a boy his age would need a fancy walking stick.

Sebastian spared him from further humiliation and held out the order form.

"Actually, he's here on his own business" he said.

The clerk took the receipt and smiled.

"Oh, you're here for _that _walking stick" he said.

He turned around and opened a drawer containing Ciel's stick.

"I was wondering who have use for a stack as short as this. Naturally, I didn't think a child-"

He was cut off when Sebastian had the walking stick pointed right at his head like he was about to ram it into his skull.

The butler smirked darkly.

"Straight as an arrow" he remarked.

"A magnificent stick indeed"

Rioko snickered at the clerk's reaction. The poor old man was sweating bullets at the prospect of nearly being killed.

Sebastian pulled out a bag of coins and placed it on the counter.

"Keep the change" he commented.

The group left the store, not caring that the poor clerk passed out in fear.

"Blast that Finnian and his inhuman strength" Ciel muttered.

Rioko just smirked as she remembered when the gardener broke Ciel's walking stick.

"It is a pity" Sebastian said.

"You haven't had a growth spurt in years"

Ciel growled at that. He was really sensitive about his height.

Sayuri gave the poor boy a sympathetic stare.

"There's nothing wrong with being short, Earl Phantomhive" she said.

"It's better to be short than tall. You should just see Aki. Back at our home, she always bangs her head every time she passes through the door. Plus, being shorter can intimidate your clients to do as you say"

Ciel didn't say anything, but his scowl lessened.

As they were walking, they passed a window display of the Funtom company's newest toys.

Rioko sweat dropped when she saw so many children gathering around the display to get a closer look at the toys.

"How you're a wealthy business man by just selling toys and sweets is beyond me" she said to Ciel.

"To me, they just seem pointless. If you're going to sell a product to people, use something that _everyone _will want to use. You won't see an adult playing with stuffed animals, but you will see them buying tea"

A tick mark appeared on Ciel's head. He was starting to regret bringing Rioko along.

He'll admit that selling toys seemed like a childish business, but at least it put food on the table. Besides, the Funtom toy company had been in his family for generations. He wasn't going to change it just because he thought it was childish.

Rioko just snickered at Ciel's face.

"_I love it when I win" _she thought.

Meanwhile, Sayuri and Sebastian just sighed, knowing there was going to be yet another fight on the ride home.

Sayuri gave Sebastian a weak smile.

"At least you'll be outside riding the carriage. You should be grateful for that" she said.

Sebastian just shook his head.

"You have no idea" he replied.

/

Back at the Phantomhive manor, Grell had begged to do a household chore to prove that he was a capable butler.

Since he was giving everyone a headache, the servants allowed him to trim the bushes in the massive garden. It wasn't really bad really since everyone could relax and enjoy the fresh air.

Aki sighed in relief since she could smoke one of her cigarettes. Since Sayuri didn't approve of her smoking inside a guest's house, she had to smoke outside. It wasn't so bad since Bard tended to smoke as well.

The head chief took a drag on one of the cigarette's the Aki loaned her and blew out a thin trail of smoke.

"Bloody hell, these cigarette's are good" he said.

Aki smirked as she let her own 'death stick' dangled between her teeth.

"You won't find this kind of brand in London" she said.

"Kyoto is known for making some crazy shit"

Grell seemed to be drooling as he watched Aki lay out on the grass in a very un-lady like posture.

When the Esper's 'four-eyes is watching me' senses went off, she looked up at the butler and glared at them.

"Those bushes aren't going to trim themselves, four-eyes" she snapped.

"Get back to work!"

Grell jumped and quickly hacked away at any branches that were sticking out.

Bard chuckled.

"You sure showed him" he said.

Finni and Mey-Rin nodded.

Aki shrugged and lay back down, placing her hands behind head.

"I tell it as it is" she said.

"I'm not the kind of person who's going to sugar coat it for you just to make you feel better. If you've done something bad, I'm going to tell it as it is. Life is no fairy tale"

Everyone had to nod at that. They were even lucky to be working where they were at, despite being lousy servants.

As Grell was trimming, he looked up at the Phantomhive manor. He had to admit, it was beautiful estate. Far more beautiful than Madame Red's.

"This is a magnificent manor that really shows the greatness of the Phantomhive family" he said.

"Oh, how stately it is!"

Bard blew smoke from his lips as he admired the manor.

"It's barely been two years since it was built" he admitted.

Grell raised an eyebrow.

"What? But it looks so dignified…" he said.

"That's only natural" someone said.

Grell turned around to find an elderly Japanese man standing before him. The clumsy butler screamed while Aki pulled her gun out.

"Who the hell are you?" she cried.

"Oh, it's the real Tanaka!" Finni cried.

"We haven't seen him in months" Mey-Rin added.

Aki raised an eyebrow.

Real Tanaka?

This was the same short old man who always sipped tea, and went 'ho ho ho'?

Tanaka just gave them a warm, knowing smile.

"This manor is built to be exactly like the old one" he explained.

"It's faithfully reproduced down to the finest cracks in the pillars"

"Reproduced?" Grell asked.

Tanaka nodded.

"The entire Phantomhive estate went down in flames three years ago" he said.

Grell gasped in horror.

"Th-then…forgive me for asking, but did Master Ciel's parents….?"

Tanaka nodded.

"Yes. The previous generation oh Phantomhives died in the fire"

Aki grimaced.

She had heard that Ciel lost his parents, but she didn't think they would die in a fire. Even if she hated the little brat, she thought that was unfair he had to lose his parents that way.

"Poor thing" Grell said.

Just then, the real Tanaka 'deflated' and went back to his chibi like form.

"Tanaka?" Grell cried.

"His normal heat consumption is very low" Bard explained.

"So when he's real Tanaka for more than three minutes, it makes him sleepy"

Aki sweat dropped.

"This whole manor is full of nut jobs" she muttered.

"Ahhhh!" everyone whipped around when they heard Finni and Mey-Rin scream and point towards the bushes that Grell trimmed.

Instead of normal looking bushes, they were trimmed to look just like skulls.

"Why the hell are they all skulls?" Aki cried.

Grell had another one of his panic attacks when he realized the screwed something up, yet again.

"I-I've caused you trouble yet again!" he sobbed.

He went over towards a ladder and put his neck through a nose that magically appeared out of nowhere.

"I shall atone for my death!"

Everyone quickly ran up to the ladder so he wouldn't fall of.

"Quit trying to kill yourself already!" Bard snapped.

"And where the hell did that nose came from?" Aki added.

Grell shook his head.

"But if I don't hang myself, it will be a stain on my honor!" he cried.

"If you kill yourself, it give a big mess to clean up!" Aki snapped.

"Now get down from there before a beat seven shades of shit out of you!"

Before Grell could do anything, a person suddenly came up and took the ladder that Grell was on and pulled it away, causing him to choke himself.

"GRELL!" everyone cried.

/

After a long trip in London, Ciel and Rioko finally returned back to the Phantomhive estate. Luckily for Sayuri, she didn't have to break up a fight and was pleased that they were acting civilized with each other for a tiny bit.

Sebastian opened the carriage door for them and helped them all out. When it came to Sayuri's turn to get out, he held his hand out for her.

The young maid blushed and shook her head.

"Oh, no thank you" she said.

"There's no need to be helping the hired help"

Sebastian just gave her one of his smirks.

"It's only proper to help a lady, even if she's a maid" he said.

"What kind of gentleman would I be if I didn't?"

Sayuri just blushed some more and simply accepted his hand as he helped her out.

"Thank you" she said.

Sebastian just bowed before heading towards the front doors.

"You both must be tired" he said to Ciel and Rioko.

"I'll prepare you some tea right away"

He opened the door to let Ciel and Rioko enter first.

Ciel took a step forward, then deadpanned when he saw the inside.

Sebastian looked confused.

"What's the mat-"

He froze when he saw the inside of the mansion as well. Everything was filled with frills, laces and sparkles.

Rioko paled when she saw that everything was pink.

"What kind of nightmare have a stepped into?" she asked.

Sayuri hide her face behind her fan in shock.

"Oh my"

Ciel's eye twitched at the sight.

"My mansion…" he muttered.

"What in the world happened here?" Sebastian asked.

"SEBASTIAN!"

Ceil's servants, along with Aki came running towards them, wearing silly outfits.

Finni was dressed up as a bunny, Bard was dressed as a baby, and Aki was dressed as a pirate.

The sight was both humorous and scary at the same time.

Everyone clung to Sebastian desperately while Aki clung to Sayuri.

"What on earth happened?" Sayuri asked.

"Better yet, why are you all dressed like that?" Sebastian added.

Rioko was holding her sides as she laughed. The sight of Aki dressed like a pirate was too much for her.

Said Esper glared at her and grabbed her by the front of her shirt.

"Don't laugh, you little brat!" she snapped.

"It's all the crazy girl's fault!"

She looked at Sayuri.

"Can I kill her? Please?" she begged.

Ciel raised an eyebrow.

"Crazy girl?" he asked.

Just then, the sound of someone choking in the salon caught his attention.

Ciel and Rioko peeked into the room to see that it too was girlishly decorated and that Grell was hanging from the ceiling with a bow on his head.

"That is very disturbing" Rioko said.

A tick mark appeared on Ciel's forehead as he looked at his aunt's butler.

"What are you doing?" he ordered.

Grell looked like he was half dead with the way that he was hanging by his neck.

"As you can see, I'm on the verge of dying" he rasped.

Sayuri placed a hand over her mouth.

"Oh dear" she said.

Aki shrugged.

"Hey, he wanted to kill himself earlier so it's his own fault"

Ciel just shook his head.

"_I'm surrounded by fools" _ he thought.

"Sebastian, get him down" he ordered.

Sebastian bowed.

"Yes, my lord"

As he was getting Grell down, a blur of orange and yellow zipped past him and latched onto Ciel. Ciel blinked when he saw a young girl around his age with curly blonde pigtails cuddle him.

"Ciel!" she cried.

"Oh, Ciel I've missed you!"

Everyone was stunned to see this girl cuddling up to Ciel and rubbing her face against his.

"Elizabeth!" Ciel said surprised.

Elizabeth just smiled as she placed her hands on Ciel's shoulders.

"Aw, you know I'm always telling you to call me 'Lizzie'!" she said.

She pulled Ciel in for another hug and cuddled with him.

"Oh, every time I see you, you're so cute!" she squealed.

Rioko snickered as the scene unfolded. She didn't know who this Elizabeth person was, but to her, she was a gift from heaven. If she was able to harass Ciel like that without him lashing out in return, then that meant the head of the Junshinto family had an ace up her sleeve.

"_Maybe if I use her, Ciel will hurry up with paying his debt" _she thought.

An evil grin spread across her face as she started to come up with various types of blackmail.

Sebastian managed to get Grell down and held him by the back of his jacket. It seemed that he could never have a normal day, no matter how much he wished for it.

"Lady Elizabeth" he said.

Elizabeth let go of Ciel and gave Sebastian a curtsy.

"Oh, good afternoon, Sebastian" she said.

Sebastian inclined his head in a bowing manner.

Elizabeth pouted when she saw Grell.

"Aw, you took him down?" she asked.

"Yes, my lady. He mars the beauty of the room" Sebastian said.

Elizabeth sighed sadly.

"Aw, but I made such a lovely decoration out of him" she said.

Sebastian raised an eyebrow.

"Decoration?"

Elizabeth nodded happily and gestured to the salon.

"Yes! Look, the salon is so cute now too, isn't it?" she asked.

Cute wasn't the right word to describe it. More like horrible and wretched.

Ciel just had a disturbed look as he saw all the frills and stuffed animals that littered the whole place.

"My mansion" he muttered.

"Only cute things can exist in this mansion!" Elizabeth squealed.

"Right, Antoinette?"

Everyone looked at Tanaka, who was dressed up as Marie Antoinette.

Sayuri smirked while Rioko snickered. Sebastian wore a weak smile on his face when he saw how much Tanaka was enjoying this.

"You too, Tanaka?" he asked.

"I have a present for you too, Sebastian!" Elizabeth said.

Before the butler could ask, Elizabeth put a pink, frilly bonnet on his head.

"You're always dressed in black, so I thought this might look good" Elizabeth said.

Bard, Finni and Mey-Rin snickered as the sight, but they quickly stopped when Sebastian gave them the death glare.

Rioko snorted slightly at the sight of seeing Sebastian wearing pink.

This caught Elizabeth's attention and made her realize that there was someone else in the room. Her eyes went wide when she saw Rioko standing there with her maids.

"Oh! How rude of me!" she cried.

"I didn't know that Ciel had any guests"

She quickly went into a curtsy.

"I'm Lady Elizabeth Ethel Cordelia Midford, but you can call me Lizzie" she said.

"I'm also Ciel's fiancée"

At the mention of fiancée, a light bulb went off in Rioko's head.

"_Oh, this day just keeps getting better and better" _she thought.

When Ciel saw the evil smirk on her face, he knew that he was going to be harassed by Rioko.

The girl just gave him a dark smirked before replacing it with a cheesy one when she bowed to Elizabeth.

"I'm Rioko Junshinto. Head of the Junshinto family" she said.

"I'm a business partner with Ciel and I came in from Japan to work out some business. And I must say, he has such an adorable fiancée"

Elizabeth's eyes sparkled when she heard that.

She quickly grabbed Rioko's hands and held them tightly.

"Oh! You're so sweet! Let's be friends!" she cried.

"And you're so cute! I just have the most cutest dress that you have to try on!"

Rioko mentally cringed at the mention of dresses. She absolutely hated dressing up and tried to avoid it as much as she could.

Elizabeth clapped her hands happily as she came up with an idea.

"Say, I know! Now that the mansion looks so lovely and all, let's have a ball!" she cried.

"And I'll dance around with my fiancé as my escort!"

Ciel's eye twitched in annoyance. There was no way that he was going to have a ball.

"How said that I would agr-"

"Wear the clothes I picked out for you, won't you Ciel?" Elizabeth interrupted.

"I just know they'll look adorable!"

A tick mark appeared on Ciel's forehead.

"Listen to me when I'm-"

"And I must dress up as well!" Elizabeth said.

She went up to Grell and tugged him by the broken noose around his neck.

"Come on. I'll make you even cuter too!"

Grell gagged when Elizabeth dragged him by the rope as she ran out of the room.

"Wait! I said no ball!" he cried.

But it was too late.

/

"I always wondered how you were able to put up with me, but after seeing your fiancée, now I can see why"

A tick mark appeared on Ciel's forehead at that comment.

Just slammed a few papers down on his desk while Rioko wore a cheesier like smirk on her face.

"Who would have thought that the great, stoic Ciel Phantomhive would have such a hyper, cheerful fiancée?" she asked.

"You look like an odd couple, but you know what they say: opposites attract"

Ciel gave Rioko a dull glare.

"Do you want me to throw you out?" he asked.

Rioko held her hands up in surrender.

"Fine, fine. I'll behave" she said.

"Just remember that now I know about your little fiancée, I'm considering it as blackmail"

Ciel just groaned and placed his head on the desk.

It was bad enough that Rioko was here, but to add Elizabeth into the picture just made it worse. Having two very annoying females in the same house gave him a headache.

Sayuri gave the poor Earl a sympathetic smile.

"There, there, Sir" she said.

"Lady Elizabeth seems like a very lovely lady. She appears to really love you, so that's something to be happy about"

Ciel just groaned at that.

Sebastian poured some tea for his young master, knowing how Elizabeth affected him.

""I believe the wisest thing to do today would be to go along with her plan and then ask her to leave" he said.

Ciel just scowled.

"Just give her some dinner or something and get her out of here" he said.

Rioko snorted at that.

"You've tried that on me and it hasn't work" she pointed out.

"What makes you think it'll work on Lizzie?"

Ciel just sipped his tea and closed his eyes in frustration.

"I don't have time to go along with her girlish hobbies" he said.

"But my lord, it appears Lady Elizabeth desires a dance" Sebastian said.

Ciel looked away at the mention of dancing. Everyone picked up on this and suddenly grew curious.

"Young master?" Sebastian asked.

"I've never seen you dance, but I presume you can do it?"

His response was Ciel picking up a few documents and covering his face with them.

That was all that they needed to answer their question.

"Well, that explains why you play the wallflower when asked to parties" Sebastian sighed.

"I'm busy with work" Ciel pointed out.

"I have no time to waste on a stupid ball-"

Sebastian suddenly got into his face.

"With all due respect, young master" he said.

"It's called a 'social dance' for a reason, and it's a skill that will naturally be necessary at soirees and banquets. The world expects a first-class gentleman to know how to dance. If you reject any more dance invitations, your reputation in society circles will plummet…"

Sayuri smiled weakly.

"He's right" she admitted.

"Everyone expects a young Earl to know how to dance. If not, then why would they bother working with such a boring business associate?"

Ciel made a face. His reputation as a Phantomhive was on the line, all because he couldn't dance.

He had to fix this.

"Fine, I'll do it!" he snapped.

"That'll make you happy, right? Call a tutor or something"

Sebastian pulled out his pocket watch to check the time.

"I'm afraid there's no time to call a tutor" he said.

"By your leave…I will instruct you in dancing"

Ciel made a face.

"You?" he cried.

"Don't be ridiculous! I can't dance with a tall man like you!"

Rioko sighed in annoyance.

"Gosh, you're so hopeless" she muttered.

She stood up and offered her hand.

"Since you're so picky, I'll be your dancing partner. If you don't like it then go ahead and make a fool out of yourself in front of Elizabeth"

Ceil scowled. He didn't want to dance with her, but it was either her or Sebastian. Since he didn't want to feel awkward dancing with a tall male, he decided to dance with Rioko.

Standing up, he took her hand.

"You say anything about this, and I'll deny it" he said.

Rioko scoffed.

"Please. I want to forget this as much as you do" she said.

Ciel growled then looked at Sebastian.

"Do you even know how to dance?" he asked.

Sebastian bowed deeply to them.

"Leave the Viennese waltzes to me" he said.

"I was often a guest at Schonbrunn palace"

Rioko raised an eyebrow..

"You've been around that long?" she asked.

Sebastian gave her a devilish smirk.

"It comes with being a demon" he said.

Rioko just sighed.

"Right"

She looked at Ciel.

"Alright, just follow my lead"

Ciel made a face.

"I do not trust you to lead me in dancing" he snapped.

A tick mark appeared on Rioko's forehead.

"Then perhaps I can show you an example?" Sebastian suggested.

He turned to Sayuri and bowed deeply.

"My I have this dance, my lady?"

Sayuri blushed slightly, but nodded.

She held her hand out to him and tired to ignore the electric shock that went through her veins as he gently grabbed it while placing the other around her waist.

"You hold the lady's back firmly" Sebastian explained.

"When the music begins, lead with your left foot"

The two of them began to slowly dance to show how it was suppose to look like.

Sayuri was blushing the whole time. She had never been so close to a man before, let alone a handsome one like Sebastian.

As they were dancing, Ciel and Rioko started dancing as well. Ciel was doing fine when it came to turning, but when he had to move forward or step back, he would always step on Rioko's foot. The girl's eye would twitch with annoyance whenever that happened and she had to resist stepping on his foot in revenge.

Sebastian sighed as he watched his master fumbled.

"Your instinct for dance is not so much lacking as catastrophic, my lord" he said.

"You mustn't simply hang off of your partner"

Rioko grabbed Ciel's face and pinched his cheeks so it looked like he was smiling.

"You should also fix this face of yours" she said.

"It's rude to a lady. You need to smile like you're having fun, even when you're not"

Ciel slapped her hand away.

"Let go" he snapped.

He stepped back and touched the Phantomhive family that was on his finger. Like Rioko, his ring symbolized his status of the family.

He looked at his hands as if wanting to avoid her stare.

"Anyway, I've…I've…forgotten how to smile like I'm having fun…"

Rioko blinked when she heard that.

Being the Messenger Bird that she was, she learned about what happened to Ciel on his family. She felt bad for him, but surely that couldn't have made him forget how to smile?

She went up and flicked him on the forehead.

Ciel grabbed his forehead and glared at her.

"What was that for?" he asked.

Rioko gave him a stern look as she placed her hands on her hips.

"You didn't forget how to smile, you've simply chose to throw that thought away" she said.

"No one can forget how to express an emotion like that, it's in our instincts. You just threw that instinct away when you became the Earl of Phantomhive. Childish emotions are useless to you and whatever is childish to you, you just throw it aside"

Ciel bit his lip, having someone like her read right through him. She was right. After what happened to him and his family, he threw those childish feelings aside. Smiling and being cheerful wasn't going to find the person who killed his parents and put him through all that torture.

Rioko sighed and shrugged.

"I don't know what goes on in that head of yours" she said.

"But for my own sanity, I'd rather not know"

Sayuri and Sebastian just watched as their masters looked at each other without saying anything.

It amazed them sometimes how similar, yet different they could be. They were like each other's Yin and Yang. Ciel was the darkness while Rioko was the light.

This was bound to be a very interesting relationship.

/

Downstairs, Grell looked at himself in mortification. Elizabeth had dressed him up in a white frilly dress with a matching ribbon in his hair.

"T-this is…such a humiliating outfit!" he cried.

Bard, who was dressed up as a sailor, patted him on the shoulder.

"Just give up on it" he said.

Grell had anime tears running down his face.

"This girlish, infantile, white color…"

He suddenly looked determined.

"If I were to dress up, I wish it were a passionate red!" he declared.

"With a plunging neckline and slit up the skirt!"

Aki made a face.

"Is that what you're so upset about?" she asked.

"If I were you, I would be more concerned about wearing a dress"

Grell seemed to ignore her and headed towards the window.

"If my only other choice is to live in shame, I would rather die!"

He expected them to stop him, but when no one came, he looked over his shoulder to see that they were just standing there.

"Y-You're not going to stop me?" he asked.

"Why should we?" Aki asked.

"You're just doing it to gain attention"

Grell had more anime tears running down his face.

Meanwhile, Mey-Rin was helping Elizabeth get dressed up. The young girl was all bubbly.

"I'm sure blue will look good on Ciel" she said.

"I feel in love with the clothes I bought while I was shopping in London"

She turned to Mey-Rin.

"All right, it's your turn next to me adorable!"

She went to grab Mey-Rin's glasses, but the maid quickly backed away.

"I'm _really _farsighted, and I can't see anything without my glasses!" she said.

Elizabeth just smiled and went to grab her glasses again.

"You don't have to see in order to have fun" she said.

"Leave her be" Ciel said.

Elizabeth looked up the stairs to see Ciel wearing the fancy blue outfit that she picked out for him.

Rioko covered a snicker that was forming in her throat. Sayuri gave her a stern look to warn her.

Elizabeth's eyes sparkled when she saw her fiancé.

"Ciel! You really are adorable!" she squealed.

She spun him around when he came down the stairs.

"I judged rightly!" she said.

She stopped when she saw Ciel wearing his family ring.

"Oh my" she said.

"Ciel, where is the ring that brought you? There was a cute one to match your clothes!"

Ciel pulled his hand away and touched his ring.

"This ring is fine" he said.

At hearing that, Elizabeth started throwing a fit.

"No! I went to so much trouble to make everything cute, but the ring isn't cute at all!"

Aki's eye twitched while she slowly reached for her gun. Sayuri saw this and grabbed her wrist, shaking her head in the process.

"No killing noble ladies" she warned.

"I've told you that before"

Aki scoffed and crossed her arms.

"You ruin my fun" she muttered.

Rioko went up to Elizabeth and decided to spare her colleague. True, it was fun seeing him being harassed, but over something like his ring was a little ridiculous.

"I don't see what the problem is" she said.

"It's the same color as his outfit, so it should match. What's wrong with what he wears on his hands?"

"Because it isn't the one that I picked out!" Elizabeth pouted.

Rioko sweat dropped at that. She never realized how annoying this girl was until just now.

"_Throwing a fit over a stupid ring" _she thought.

"_I think I'm starting to feel sorry for Ciel…key word is starting to"_

"You won't wear the ring that a brought you!" Elizabeth cried.

"You're so cruel!"

Ciel sighed, knowing a headache was forming in his head.

"That's not it" he said.

"This ring is-"

As he was talking, Elizabeth managed to snatched the ring off his finger.

"Got it!"

Both Ciel and Rioko looked surprised and alarmed. This girl had to be either really brave or really stupid to take an Earl's ring from him.

Elizabeth looked at the ring and examined it.

"Yes, it's far too big!" she said.

"The one I picked out is perfectly-sized and-"

"Give it back!" Ciel snapped.

The young Earl looked angry as he held his hand out.

"Give that back, Elizabeth" he said.

Elizabeth looked upset at Ciel's sudden change of mood.

"W-why are you so angry?" she asked.

"I went through so much trouble"

Ciel just glared at her, which made her take a step back.

"What?" she asked.

"All I did was try to make you adorable! Why are you so angry?"

Before anyone knew it, Elizabeth did the unthinkable.

"I hate this stupid ring!"

In her anger, she chucked the ring to the ground, causing the gem to shatter.

Everyone gasped in horror.

Rioko instinctively touched her ring to make sure it was safe. It was all she had left to the mother that she never knew.

Ciel simply snapped when he saw his beloved ring destroyed.

In his anger, he raised his hand in attempt to slap her, but Sebastian suddenly appeared and grabbed his wrist.

"Young Master…" Sebastian said.

Rioko went in front of Elizabeth protectively while the poor girl herself was crying.

Ciel calmed down a bit to the point where it deemed safe for Sebastian to let go of him.

He went over to Elizabeth and bowed before her.

"That ring was very important to my master" he explained.

"The head of the Phantomhive family passed it down for generations. It was one-of-a-kind. Please forgive my master's rudeness"

Elizabeth gasped in horror when she heard this.

"I…I destroyed such a precious ring…?" she asked.

Ciel picked it up and examined it for a second before walking towards the window that Grell opened earlier.

Everyone watched in curiosity to what the young Earl was doing.

"Ciel, I.." Elizabeth began.

Everyone gasped when they saw Ciel toss his ring outside.

Elizabeth ran up to Ciel.

"Ciel, how could you do that?" she asked.

"It doesn't matter" Ciel said.

"It was just an old ring"

He walked away from the window.

"Even without that thing…I'm still head of the Phantomhives" he said.

Sebastian wore a proud smirk when he saw how determined his master was.

Rioko and her servants wore similar ones on their faces. For all the tough exterior he put up, he sure knew how to mask how upset he was.

Elizabeth was still crying over breaking such a precious heirloom.

Ciel sighed and went up to her.

"How long are you going to cry?" he asked.

He pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed her eyes.

"Your face is a mess" he said.

"And you call yourself a lady?"

He smirked slightly.

"I don't fancy asking a lady with such a messy face to dance…" he said.

Elizabeth looked stunned.

"Ciel…" he said.

Just then, music started playing. Everyone looked to see Sebastian playing the violin at the top of the stairs. The music was so beautiful that it was as if a professional player was doing it.

"H-how wonderful!" Grell said.

"I'll join him!"

He went by the stairs and started singing like a soprano opera singer. That caused all the servants to fall over anime style.

"What the hell?" Bard cried.

"He's a klutz when it comes to doing chores, but he can sing like that?" Aki asked.

Ciel held his hand out to Elizabeth.

"Soiree etiquette is to forget all the unpleasant things and dance the night away, right, my lady?" he asked.

Elizabeth smiled brightly at that and accepted his hand.

The two of them went into the center of the room and started dancing. It seemed that Sebastian and Sayuri's teaching paid off. Ciel danced professionally without stepping on Elizabeth's feet.

The atmosphere caused the others to start dancing as well. Finni danced with Tanaka and swung him around.

Sayuri giggled at the sight.

"It seemed like everyone is having fun" she said.

Aki rolled her eyes.

"If you call dressing up, hearing an annoying girl whine and everyone dancing to be fun" she said.

Sayuri gave her sister a smile.

"Aw, don't say that" she said.

"You look cute as a pirate captain"

Aki's eyebrow twitched.

"Don't start" she said.

Sayuri just giggled.

Aki just sighed in defeat.

"I take it you want to dance too?" she asked.

Sayuri wore a small smile.

"It does look fun" she admitted.

"And you are dressed for the part"

Aki sighed and rubbed her temples.

"Your mind scares me sometimes" she said.

"But I guess I'll let you have your fun"

She took her hat off and bowed dramatically to her sister.

"Will you honor me with this dance, oh sister of mine?"

Sayuri giggled and accepted her sister's hand.

"I would love to"

The two sisters danced as well. It would have seemed awkward if they were at a fancy party, but since they were dancing among friends, it was normal.

They danced the night away until everyone was exhausted.

/

Elizabeth had fallen asleep by the time their little ball was over.

Grell put her in a carriage and made sure she was comfortable before he faced his colleagues.

"I-I shall take responsibility for escorting Lady Elizabeth home" he said.

"You gonna be alright?" Bard asked.

Grell nodded.

"Yes" he said.

"I'm a more deadly efficient butler that I look"

His eyes sparkled at Sebastian.

"That's right-Sebastian, I've learned from what you what it means to be a butler!"

Sebastian just sweat dropped and cringed when he came too close to his face.

Aki rolled her eyes.

"Seriously" she muttered.

Grell turned to her and gripped her hands.

"And you, Aki" he said.

"You've helped me out too! With your strict disciplinary, I've became more alterative to my surroundings. You're truly the true example of a gentleman"

Aki's eyes bugged out when she heard this.

Gentleman?

"Excuse me?" she snapped.

It was bad enough that she wasn't well endowed like her sister, but to be mistaken as a male by this idiot was a stab to her pride.

Rioko bit her fist to prevent herself from laughing.

Grell was simply smiling as he held Aki's hands.

"They say that before a person dies, his life flashes before his eyes" he said.

"I'm sure that if I die, the dreamland I saw tonight will flash before me over and over!"

Aki snatched her hands away in disgust.

"How thoughtful of you" she said sarcastically.

Everyone watched as Grell drove off with Elizabeth.

Ciel sighed.

"Good grief, what a rotten day" he said.

Rioko smirked.

"You seemed like you were enjoying it" she said.

Ciel scoffed.

"Don't be a fool" he said.

Rioko shrugged.

"Whatever you say" she said.

"Just remember that denial will get you nowhere"

She gestured towards the hand that once held his ring.

"Like when you acted like it wasn't a big deal when Elizabeth broke your ring and you made it seemed like it was no big deal, yet you were going to smack her moments before"

Ciel's eyes harden at that.

"Are you trying to start a war with me?" he asked.

Rioko held her hands up in mock surrender.

"Heavens no" she said.

She gripped his shoulder tightly.

"Although I will give you some words of advice" she said.

"Like you said, even without that ring, you're still head of the Phantomhives. Just don't forget to still be you. You may be an Earl, but you have to remember to still be yourself. Be the Ciel that you know and love. If you don't, life will just be miserable and you'll start to question what your purpose in life is"

Ciel gave her a serious stare. He didn't want to admit that she had a point. He knew he was still Ciel, but there were days where he felt like he wasn't and was just the head of his family. It made him wonder why he took it so seriously when he should have been focusing on finding the person who ruined his true self.

"And you would know all of this because?"

Rioko gave him a mysterious smile.

"Take it from someone who has experience" she said.

She stifled a yawn behind her had.

"I'll take that as are queue to head home" Sayuri said.

She bowed respectfully to Ciel and Sebastian.

"Thank you for such a wonderful evening. It was truly marvelous" she said.

Sebastian bowed in return.

"It is us, who should be thanking you" he said.

"If it wasn't for you, I'm sure the poor master wouldn't know how to dance properly"

Sayuri smiled shyly but didn't say anything.

Everyone parted ways before calling it a night.

As the Junshinto family was heading back to their home, Aki was cursing up a storm over Grell.

"That no-good, four eyed, sick mother-"

Before she could finish, Sayuri covered her mouth.

"Watch your mouth" she warned.

Aki scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"That house is full of nut jobs" she said.

Sayuri nodded in agreement.

"That is true" she said.

Rioko smiled.

"But it does make things fun" she admitted.

Everyone nodded at that.

It was fun and there was more to come soon.

/

**A/N: Poor Aki, having Grell think she's a boy. If it wasn't so funny, I'd feel bad for her. I think this is probably the longest chapter I've written so far. Hopefully, they'll get longer. **

**Please review and tell me what you think!**

**Ja ne!**


	8. Look at it through my perspective

Chapter 7: Look at it through my perspective

**A/N: I just want to thank PhantomhiveXlll for making such cute fanart for this story! This chapter is dedicated to you in thanks. **

**Before we go into the Jack the Ripper arch, I've decided to do a little filler chapter. We get to see what Rioko's daily life at her home in London. It may not be as crazy as Ciel's, but when add Sayuri and Aki, it's bound to make it up.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Black Butler; I just own my oc's.**

**Enjoy!**

/

"Young Master?" Sebastian asked.

Ciel suppressed a sighed as they walked along the street.

"Yes, Sebastian?" the young Earl asked.

"May I be so bold as to ask where we're going at so early in the morning?" Sebastian replied.

Ciel sighed.

He should have known that his butler would be wondering why they were out on the town when it was only eight in the morning.

"We're going to see Rioko" he replied.

Sebastian looked mildly surprised.

Normally, his master wouldn't want to do anything with the young head of the Junshinto family. If anything, he would try to avoid her.

The fact that he would want to see her, especially at such early hours was bizarre.

"And what may I ask, do you need to see Lady Rioko for?" he asked.

"Surely if you waited, she would be at our manor like she usually does"

Ciel simply held up an envelope that held the Queen's seal.

"Her royal majesty has given me a mission" he said.

"And I'll need her help with this particular one"

Sebastian wore a devilish smirk on his face.

"I never thought I would see the day where my young master would be asking others for help. Especially from the one person he detests the most"

A tick mark appeared on Ciel's head.

"Oh, shut up!" he snapped.

He looked at the paper that held Rioko's address then looked at the manor that they were facing.

Like his, Rioko's manor was more secluded and didn't have any other houses next to it. It wasn't as grand as his was, but the Japanese architecture that covered it gave it a type of beauty that Britain could never copy.

Tucking the paper into his pocket, Ciel walked up the pathway.

"Since she's always barging in on me unexpectedly, it's time I do the same for her" he said.

"It seems you're starting to pick up on some of Lady Rioko's habits, my lord" Sebastian said.

Ciel just ignored him and knocked on the door.

"I'm coming ,I'm coming. Keep your pants on"

The door was swung open to reveal a disheveled looking Aki. The body guard looked like she just got out of bed with her more than usually messy hair and her pajamas; which happen to be the clothes that she wore the day before.

She took one look at the two that were standing outside and wore a scowl on her face.

"It's the Phantomhive brat and his demon butler" she called out.

A tick mark appeared on Ciel's forehead at being called a brat.

Sayuri quickly ran to the door and shoved her sister out of the way.

"Could you be any louder?" she snapped.

"I don't think the neighbors heard"

Aki rolled her eyes and walked away to get Rioko.

Sayuri tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she looked at her guests. She too had just gotten up and still wore her Yukata like night robe on.

She quickly stepped to the side to usher her guests in.

"Come in, come in" she insisted.

The Earl and his butler slowly entered the manor and let Sayuri take their coats.

"You'll have to excuse Aki, she isn't a morning person" she said.

"Although that shouldn't be an excuse for her behavior around guests"

She brought them into the parlor and had them take a seat (although Sebastian stood) while she went to go prepare some tea.

Ciel took the opportunity to look around his associate's home.

Statues and paintings depicting ancient times were all over the room. The paint that colored the walls were a rich red and had gold intricate trimming gave the room a warm vibe.

"Lady Rioko really has exquisite tastes" Sebastian said.

Ciel didn't say anything, but nodded.

Hurried footsteps came down the stairs before heading towards the pallor.

Rioko slid to a stop when she came into the room and spotted Ciel.

Her hair was disheveled while her robe was coming off her shoulder.

Glaring at him, she readjusted her robe before flattening her hair down.

"Well, look who's decided to drop by" she said.

"You know, I'm surprised to see you of all people at my home unexpected . I'm even more surprised by how early you decided to drop by"

She crossed her arms at this point.

"Even I don't come to your place this early"

Ciel just gave her a dull look.

"Consider it payback for bargaining into my home like that" he said.

"Besides, I have urgent matters that I need to discuss with you"

Rioko sighed and sat on couch that was across from him.

"And it was that urgent that you had to wake me up?" she asked.

Ciel didn't say anything. Instead, he held up the letter that the Queen sent to him.

Rioko raised an eyebrow will mild interest.

"So the Queen's Guard dog is out for another chase" she said.

"What does this have to do with me?"

Ciel just pocketed the letter.

"Considering the case that it's on about, a lot has to do with you" he said.

"I'll be needing the Queen's Messenger Bird for this case. You're known to gather Intel on certain things and I'll be needing that if I want to capture this culprit"

Rioko just leaned back in her seat as she mulled over his words. It was very rare for Ciel to ask anyone, besides Sebastian for help. The fact that he was asking her of all people for help must have meant this was a very important case.

There was no way that she could pass this up.

"We'll talk about it later" she said.

"For now, I have stuff to take care of. You can stay if you want, but I doubt you will have fun"

Ciel simply shrugged.

"You do the same at my home, what's the difference?"

Rioko smirked.

"That's true"

She stood up and straightened out her robe.

"Seeing as how you came here at such an early hour, I bet you didn't have breakfast yet" she said.

"I'll see if Sayuri will make us something. Hope you're ready for a Japanese breakfast"

Ciel stood up and followed her out of the parlor.

"I'm sure it's better than what Bard creates" he said.

Sebastian just wore a smirk as he followed his master into the dining room with Rioko.

/

Sayuri smiled as she brought a tray of food into the dining room.

"It's so nice to have company over for a change" she said as she placed everything down.

Today's dish consisted of a rice omelet, smoked fish, and Miso soup with rice and green tea.

Ciel couldn't deny that everything smelled wonderful, but he was hesitant to try it. He had just gotten used to eating French food, so he didn't know what to expect out of this.

Sayuri gave him a kind smile as she set his tea down.

"If this isn't to your liking, sir, then let me know and I'll make you something else" she said.

Ciel shook his head as he reached for his tea.

"That won't be necessary" he said.

"Thank you for the meal though"

Sayuri smiled and nodded.

"I hope it's to your liking" she said.

"If you'll excuse me"

She headed back into the kitchen to prepare Aki's meal. She looked over her shoulder and spotted Sebastian standing beside Ciel.

"Would you like anything to eat, Sebastian?" she asked.

The demon looked slightly surprised. Why would anyone ask him that? He was a demon and the only thing that he ate were souls. Human food never appealed to him, nor did it quench his hunger.

Then again, he remembered that she was an Esper and probably didn't know what demons could and couldn't eat.

At least she was thoughtful to include him though.

He just gave her a fake smile and shook his head.

"I'm flattered, but I'll pass" he said.

Sayuri nodded before heading back into the kitchen.

Aki sat near the counter and twirled a cigarette between her fingers.

Sayuri sighed as she looked at her sister. No matter where she went, her sister would always have a cigarette on her. Didn't she realize that smoking was bad for her?

"If you keep smoking the way that you do, you're going to kill yourself" she insisted.

Aki snorted and stuck the cigarette behind her ear.

"Please" she said.

"You should know by know that Espers live forever, being the magical creatures that we are"

Sayuri frowned. That was true, but that didn't mean that her sister had to risk her life by drinking and smoking daily.

"Nothing lasts forever" she said.

"Even for immortal beings like us"

Aki gave her sister a look and sighed.

"It freaks me out how your mind is similar to that of a human" she said.

Sayuri didn't say anything as she prepared her sister's breakfast.

"So what?" she asked quietly.

She placed her sister's meal in front of her.

"That's the only thing I can remember at this point"

With that, she walked away to take care of her daily chores.

Aki sighed and started eating her rice.

"Man, today is going to be a long day" she muttered.

/

Rioko sighed as she stretched.

"That sure hit the spot" she said.

"Sayuri's cooking is a wonder"

Ciel nodded as a light breeze swept past them. The two of them sat out in the garden after breakfast and enjoyed the view.

The whole garden looked a lot like Ciel's when Finni killed everything and it had to be turned into a stone garden. There was little Koi pond off to the side with a cascading waterfall while at the other end there stood a vibrant cheery blossom. The pink petals gave off a warm vibe as they fluttered into the wind.

Ciel had to admit that the view was breath taking.

Rioko leaned back in her seat and looked at her colleague.

"So what's this little mission that the Queen gave you that you would need my help in it?" she asked.

Ciel pulled out the letter and handed it to her.

"There has been a set of murdered victims plaguing London. All of them happened to be female" he said.

Rioko took the letter and read it over.

"Did any of them have something in common?" she asked.

Ciel nodded.

"Apparently they were prostitutes" he said.

"The bodies that were found were butchered up to the point that they couldn't be recognized. They're calling the serial killer 'Jack the Ripper'"

Rioko grimaced as she read the information the Queen wrote out.

"As much as I frown on the 'business' these women put themselves into, it's wrong to just kill them" she said.

"If you don't like something, then ignore it. Don't kill it off"

Ciel just 'hmmed' while sipping his tea. He ran a hand through his hair when the breeze grew a bit stronger.

As he did so, Rioko noticed that he had his ring back on his finger and that it was still intact.

"Your ring's fixed" she stated.

Ciel stopped what he was doing and looked at his hand.

"Sebastian fixed it" he explained.

Rioko wore a smirk on her face.

"And here I thought you were going to prove that you don't need a ring to prove what you're made of" she said.

Ciel glared at her.

"Oh, shut it" he said.

"I'm still the head of the Phantomhive's, even if I didn't have it. I'm just so used to wearing it that it feels strange if I don't have it"

Rioko just nodded.

"Whatever you say" she said.

Aki came outside with a bow and quiver of arrows.

"Alright, you. It's time for your archery lesson" she said.

Rioko made a face when the bow was dropped into her lap.

"Oh come on!" she whined.

"I have a guest over"

Aki just made a face as she ground her cigarette between her teeth.

"I don't care" she said.

"I have a schedule to follow and I plan to follow it. I don't care if someone suddenly drops by. My job is to make sure you know how to defend yourself and I plan to follow that. Now get your lazy butt up and head on over to the targets"

She stomped off towards the training grounds, muttering a few swears under her breath.

Rioko glared at her and quickly notched an arrow into the bow before firing it off at the Esper.

Aki caught it in her hand, without even looking behind her.

"That was quite an aim, but not good enough" she said as she snapped it.

She turned around and glared at her mistress with cold amber eyes.

"You pull something like that again, then you're in for a serious beating"

Rioko grumbled and walked over towards the training grounds.

She stopped and looked at Ciel.

"You want to come?" she asked.

"I'm sure it'll do you a world of good if you're able to learn archery. You could even use it on your servants when they've done something wrong"

Ciel sweat dropped but slowly followed. He really didn't know what to do here, so he decided to see how Rioko spent her day.

It seemed he was in for a cultural lesson.

/

Sayuri sighed as she watched Aki and Rioko fighting on the training grounds.

"I can't start the day unless I hear them fighting" she said to herself.

Sebastian just smirked slightly.

"At least they haven't broken anything" he said.

Sayuri smiled weakly at that.

"I have to be thankful for that" she admitted.

The two head servants stood in the kitchen while Aki was teaching Rioko and Ciel how to shot an arrow properly.

Sayuri poured herself some tea before looking up at the demon butler.

"Would you like something to drink?" she asked.

Sebastian gave her a fake smile and shook his head.

"No thank you" he said.

"Demons really don't eat human food"

Sayuri blushed but nodded.

"Gomen. I keep forgetting that demons only eat souls" she said.

"This is the first time that I've ever been associated with another supernatural being"

Sebastian nodded his head in understanding.

"I take it Espers are able to eat human food?" he asked.

Sayuri nodded.

"Yes. But sometimes it depends on our elemental powers. Aki has control over fire, so she tends to eat a lot of spicy stuff, and I have control over water and ice, so I prefer things that have been chilled" she said.

"And I suppose the only thing you'll ever eat are human souls?"

Sebastian nodded again.

"That's normally what demons eat" he said.

"Once we mark our prey, we wait until it's too are liking before we devour it"

Sayuri's smile weakened.

"And I suppose Master Ciel is your next meal?"

When Sebastian didn't say anything, she sighed.

"That's rather sad" she said.

"I think I'd rather not know how you both got into this situation, so I won't ask"

She sipped her tea and watched Aki instruct Ciel how to fire an arrow.

"Keep your back straight! Don't let your arms go slack! Rioko can do better than you and she's a girl!"

Sayuri giggled when she saw the dirty look Ciel was giving her sister.

"And what about you?" Sebastian asked.

"How have you become Lady Rioko's maid? Did you form some type of contract?"

Sayuri shook her head when she looked away from the window.

"No" she said quietly.

"It was more towards the lines of repaying rather than making a deal"

Sebastian raised an eyebrow, showing he didn't understand, so she continued.

"Before Lady Rioko was born, I used to be her mother's maid; Lady Megumi" she explained.

"Back then, I still couldn't remember who I was or what happened to me before. Aki and I somehow wound up at the Junshinto mansion and Lady Megumi took us in without questions asked. She was the only one, save for her father that knew that I was an Esper. They thought that Aki and I were perfect to be Megumi's bodyguards. I served as her maid for four years. She was so kind and wonderful. She thought of me more as a friend than as her maid. However, she died giving birth to Lady Rioko due to complications. So, as an act of repayment, Aki and I became her servants and have served her for the past fourteen years"

No one said anything for a moment. Sebastian was quiet, simply because he wanted to soak all this information in while Sayuri on the other hand was quiet through grieving.

She couldn't get over Megumi's death and felt that it was her fault that she died. With all the power she held as an Esper, she couldn't prevent the one soul that she cherished from disappearing.

"_Humans are so fragile" _she thought.

"_They can die from just about anything"_

The sound of glass breaking snapped her from her thoughts as one of the arrows that Rioko fired missed and went right through the window; heading straight for Sayuri.

The young Esper gasped as the arrow got closer and closer to her face, then stopped when Sebastian suddenly appeared beside her and grabbed it.

Sayuri looked at the demon butler in surprise while Sebastian wore a neutral look on his face.

Aki and Rioko could be heard shouting from outside.

"God damn it, Rioko! You broke another window!" Aki screamed.

"Me? You were the one who pushed me at the last second and changed my aim!" Rioko retorted.

"I did no such thing!"

"I actually saw you, so don't deny it" Ciel added.

"You stay out of this, Phantomhive brat!"

The three of them argued and shouted until their voices could be heard throughout the whole manor.

Sayuri sighed wearily.

"Might as well scratch off nothing being broken in the house" she muttered.

Sebastian just lowered his hand so the arrow wasn't pointing right at her.

The Esper gave him a weak smile.

"Thank you for that" she said.

Sebastian just gave her one of his smirks.

"What kind of butler would I be if I let you get killed like that?" he asked.

Sayuri just continued to smile at that.

"Well, in any case, thank you again" she said.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have to clean this mess"

She walked away to get a broom while Aki and Rioko were continuing to fight.

"This is why I don't like teaching you!" Aki snapped.

"You're always breaking something"

"Bite me, Aki!" Rioko retorted.

"If anyone is breaking stuff around here, it's you! We can't have a single day where you don't break something in your drunken state"

"Why you good for nothing little brat!"

Ciel sighed as he tried to suppress a headache.

"What have I gotten myself into?" he asked himself.

/

Evening came really quickly for everyone. After the little archery incident, Rioko taught Ciel how to play Shogi and how to write calligraphy. It was amusing to see the young Earl get frustrated when he screwed up on something, but he endured it like a trooper and went on with the lessons.

Sayuri just smiled as she watched her mistress bond with Ciel a bit more. It was nice to see them actually socializing with each other and not bickering. Sebastian seemed impresses as well. To think that his young master would actually want to learn something about Rioko's cultural background.

"I must say, I'm impressed with Lady Rioko" he said.

"She's able to make the Young Master want to learn something new and not find it troublesome"

Sayuri giggled.

"Lady Rioko does have a special talent when it comes to that" she admitted.

"She can talk someone into doing something that they normally wouldn't do. I guess you could say that's a good trait for running a business"

Sebastian smirked at that.

"Now if only the Young Master could pick up that habit" he said.

Sayuri smiled.

"You never know. There's still time" she said.

Sebastian didn't say anything to that. He simply watched as his master continued to get his lesson on calligraphy from his rival.

"You're not half bad when it comes to using a brush" Rioko said.

Ciel just scoffed as he finished learning how to write his name in kanji.

"An Earl must learn how to write with various utensils" he said.

Rioko just wore that know it all smirk of hers.

"Right" she said.

Sebastian pulled out his pocket watch to check the time.

"Young Master, it's getting rather late" he said.

"Perhaps we should call it a day?"

Ciel sighed and placed his brush down. He hadn't expect to spend the whole day here, but he found it to be a little interesting learning about Japanese culture (although he would never admit to it in front of Rioko)

He stood up and looked at his colleague.

"I take it that you're in with this investigation?" he asked.

Rioko smirked slightly before nodding.

"As if I would pass up the opportunity of Ciel Phantomhive asking for my help" she said.

"I'm in"

Ciel nodded slightly.

"We're leaving for central London tomorrow morning" he explained.

"Be prepared"

Rioko nodded.

"I'll see you then" she said.

"In the meantime, have a pleasant evening"

Ciel nodded and went over towards Sebastian.

"Let's go, Sebastian" he said.

The demon butler bowed.

"Yes, My Lord"

Sayuri walked them to the door.

"Are you sure you'll be alright getting back?" she asked.

"I'm sure Aki would be more than happy to drive you back by carriage"

Aki was about to retort to the idea, but Ciel spoke first.

"That won't be needed" he said.

"As long as I have Sebastian, nothing will happen to me"

Sayuri smiled weakly before nodding.

"I see" she said.

"Well then, it was a pleasure having you over. We'll see you first thing in the morning"

Ciel nodded before heading out the door with Sebastian following shortly.

Before he left, the demon butler gave her one of his smirks.

Sayuri blushed when the door was closed. She didn't know why she was constantly blushing whenever Sebastian smirked. Sure, he was handsome and pleasant to talk to, even if he was a demon; but there had to be a better reason than that.

She quickly shook that notion aside and looked at her mistress.

"It's time for you to go to bed, my lady" she said.

"You've had a very busy day today and it's bound to get busier by tomorrow. I'm sure you'll want to be energized for the trip"

Rioko stood up from her seat before stretching.

"That sounds like a good idea" she said.

Sayuri ushered Rioko to her room and helped her get ready for the night.

Rioko smiled softly as she was tucked in.

"I hope you had a pleasant day, my lady" she said.

Rioko nodded.

"It was fun actually" she admitted.

"Who would have thought that spending the day with Ciel would be so entertaining?"

Sayuri smiled softly.

"Well, I'm sure you're bound to have more excitement soon" she said.

She slowly got up and headed for the bedroom door.

"Sweet dreams, my lady" she said.

Just as she was about to leave, Rioko stopped her.

"Sayuri"

The Esper looked at her mistress.

Rioko wore a serious look on her face.

"Do you think it's wrong associating with them?" she asked.

"After all, Sebastian is a demon and Ciel has a contract with him. Don't you think that's a little dangerous?"

Sayuri looked surprised for a moment, but smirked slightly.

"No more dangerous than associating with us" she said.

"I'm sure it's ok. As long as they don't try to hurt you, I don't see the harm in that"

Rioko nodded before turning over.

"Good night, Sayuri"

Sayuri bowed slightly.

"Good night, Lady Rioko"

As she closed the door, she looked at the ground in thought for a moment, before a slight chuckle escaped her lips.

"Things are bound to get interesting" she admitted.

She slowly made her way down the hall.

"Now to go prepare for tomorrow"

/

**A/N: I hoped you guys liked this. I thought it would be interesting to see Ciel and Sebastian at their home instead of the other way around. **

**Next time, we start with the Jack the Ripper arch. I hope you're all ready for some crazy stuff and a crazy Grell!**

**Please update and tell me what you think!**

**Ja ne!**


	9. Capricious

Chapter 8: Capricious

**A/N: Now we get to my favorite part of the anime, and that would be Ciel dressing up as a girl! With Rioko around, he's sure to be black mailed.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Black Butler; I just own my oc's.**

**Enjoy!**

/

The trip to the summer house wasn't eventful. You would think that with Rioko and her maids traveling with Ciel, things would get hectic. Either the heat was affecting them all or Sayuri must have warned Aki to behave before they left.

Ciel just stared at the letter that the queen gave him regarding the Jack the Ripper case. He really didn't know how he was going to solve this case, but his reputation as a Phantomhive depended on it.

"Starting at it isn't going to solve this case any faster" Rioko suddenly said.

She has been watching him stare at the letter for the past ten minutes and found it to be ridiculous that he was fretting over a letter. True, the case was really important, but a letter from the queen wasn't going to solve the crime.

Ciel sighed and placed the letter down.

"I suppose you're right" he said.

Rioko's eyes widen slightly. Ciel never agreed with her on something so quickly. Normally, he would start arguing with her and tell her it was none of her business. He must have been really out of it.

"Are you feeling alright?" she asked.

"Because you never agree with me"

Ciel sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"It's this blasted heat" he said.

"Why everyone has to come here for the season when it's warm is beyond me"

Rioko fanned herself, feeling a little warm as well. Usually, it was never this warm in Kyoto, but since she came to London, she was suffering the adaption to the weather.

"I'll give you that" she admitted.

"I'm sure Aki is having a field day with this heat. She simply loves it since she's a fire Esper"

Said Esper was sitting outside of the carriage, smoking a cigarette. Poor Sebastian had to deal with her foul mouth and temper while he drove.

Ciel sighed and he adjusted his collar.

"Blasted heat" he muttered.

Sayuri smiled weakly at the two of them.

"Poor things" she said.

Her eyes glowed gold as she placed a hand to her lips and blew a kiss at them. The air inside the carriage suddenly grew colder to the point where the young heads weren't feeling uncomfortable.

"Is that better?" Sayuri asked.

Rioko sighed in relief.

"Much better" she said.

Ciel looked at the maid for a moment, then closed his eyes.

"It seems that you're capable to do just about anything with those powers" he said.

Sayuri laughed nervously.

"I wouldn't be sure on that" she said.

"I rarely use my Esper powers unless I need them. I want to be as normal as possible. It makes fitting in so much easier"

Ciel 'humfed' at that.

"A magical being who wants to act human" he muttered.

"How strange"

Rioko scoffed at that. She didn't take kindly to those making fun of her maids.

"No stranger than a little boy making a deal with a demon" she said.

"Honestly, why would someone your age give up his soul?"

Ciel's eye harden.

"That's none of your business" he said coldly.

Rioko raised an eyebrow.

It seemed that someone was a little defensive. It's not that she was nosy and wanted to know about his past, but he didn't need to snap like that.

Not really in the mood to argue, she just shrugged and looked out the window.

"Fine, don't tell me" she said.

Sayuri sighed as she just watched the two of them look away from each other. And to think that they were starting to get along.

The carriage buckled slightly as it hit a bump.

"Watch how you drive, you stupid butler!" Aki snapped.

Sayuri rubbed her temples.

"_This is going to be a long vacation" _she thought.

/

They finally made to Ciel's summer home.

Aki jumped off the carriage and stretched the kinks out of her back.

"Man, that was a rough ride" she said.

She placed a cigarette in her mouth and glared at Sebastian, who was helping everyone out the carriage.

"And it wouldn't have been so rough if you didn't hit all those potholes in the road. If I had known any better, I would have thought you were trying to throw me off"

Sebastian just looked at her, then gave her one of his fake smiles.

"Now why on earth would I ever do that?" he asked with mock hurt.

"It's not proper to throw a lady off like that, besides, I could have hurt everyone that was inside. If I wanted to get rid of you, I would have done it with a bit more class"

Fire erupted from Aki as she heard that. She ground her teeth so hard, that she sliced her cigarette in half.

"Why you no good piece of –"

"Aki!" Sayuri snapped.

"Watch your language. You're in front of children"

Aki just swore under her breath and picked up the luggage from the carriage.

Sebastian unlocked the doors and ushered everyone inside. The interior of the summer how looked lovely, but it paled in comparison to the Manor.

Ciel sighed as he took his top hat off.

"Ugh, there are too many people in London" he complained.

Rioko rolled her eyes as she heard him complain. He had to be here for his little mission from the queen, so he really didn't have a say in this matter.

Sebastian just smirked at his master.

"From the country manor house to the London townhouse…it's traditional for the nobility to move en masse for the Season" he said.

Rioko placed her hands behind her head as they walked up the stairs.

"This is the first I've heard of such a silly holiday" she said.

"You British folk have way too much time on your hands to do stuff like this"

Ciel sighed.

"For once, I agree with you" he said.

"But don't let it get to your head"

A tick mark appeared on Rioko's forehead, but she didn't say anything.

"Getting away from the estate occasionally might provide a nice change of pace" Sayuri suggested.

"For one thing, those four aren't here…" Sebastian said.

"We should be able to spend some quiet time, my lord"

Aki scoffed at that. She had hoped that Ciel's servants would be tagging along, so she wouldn't have to deal with all of this nonsense. But since they weren't here to make Sebastian's life a living hell, she decided to take it upon herself to make certain of it.

Call it payback if you will.

"Quiet time, hmm?" Ciel asked.

Sebastian opened the door to the study area, only to find Madame Red, Lau and Grell making a mess of the place.

"For goodness's sake! Wherever do they keep tea in this place?" Madame Red asked.

"I can't find it either…" Lau said.

"Oh, silly! Of course it's not over _there!"_

Everyone sweat dropped at the scene. They didn't expect to have anyone here, let alone Madame Red and Lau.

Rioko gave Sebastian a weak glare.

"Quiet time, you say?" she asked.

"Madame Red? Lau? What are you doing here?" Ciel demanded.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at the young Earl.

"Goodness, you're early" Madame Red said.

Lau wore an all knowing smile.

"You coming here can mean only one thing" he said.

"The Queen's guard dog is making a move" Madame Red finished.

Ciel didn't say anything about it and instead ushered everyone into the dining room to have tea. Once they were all settled did he start talking.

"Another prostitute was murdered in Whitechapel yesterday" he said.

"These aren't ordinary murders. They're bizarre…no, you could fairly call them aberrant"

Rioko pulled out a piece of paper that held information that she gathered before they left.

"A special blade was used on the most recent victim, Mary Ann Nichols" she said.

"And she was torn apart beyond all recognition"

Ciel took a sip of his tea for a second before continuing.

"Here's what Scotland Yard and the press are calling the criminal: Jack the Ripper"

"Jack the Ripper, eh?" Lau asked.

Ciel nodded.

"So I hurried to London to ascertain the situation" he said.

"Not to mention you dragged me along" Rioko added.

"How else are you going to figure out who this killer is?"

Lau placed his tea cup on its saucer before looking at the young heads.

"Do you have the guts to see the scene of the crime?" he asked them.

Ciel raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Lau wore a creepy grin on his face.

"The darkness and bestial stench that pervade the scene eat away at those who share the same destiny" he said.

He got up from his seat and went over to where they were sitting.

"If you set foot upon it, you may become consumed by madness. Are you prepared for that, Lord Phantomhive and Lady Junshinto?"

Rioko scoffed as she sipped her tea.

"I've seen worse stuff with Aki as my bodyguard" she said.

Said Esper was trying real hard to keep her temper in check because Grell kept getting close to her. She still didn't forgive him for thinking that she was a boy.

Ciel's expression didn't change, as if what Lau said didn't affect him.

"I came here to dispel the Queen's worries" he said.

"Don't ask foolish questions"

Lau smirked.

"Very nice. I like the look in your eyes"

Nobody said anything as they finished their tea. Things were about to get really grim really fast.

/

A huge crowd had already gathered at the scene of the crime. Scotland Yard had to keep everyone back so they wouldn't see what was going on. They doubted that anyone would want to see what was left of a young woman.

Ciel and his group came to the scene and went up to the officer named Abberline.

"What brings you here?" Abberline asked.

"This is no place for children. You should go home"

Ciel remained unaffected.

"Where's the victim's corpse?" he asked.

Abberline looked shocked.

"Corpse?" he cried.

"What are you saying?"

"Abberline!"

The officer flinched when his superior called him out.

Sir Randall, head of the Scotland Yard came up to them with a grim expression on his face.

"What are you doing here, Lord Phantomhive?" he asked.

Ciel wore a knowing smirk.

"I came to clean up after the slow-moving hounds working this case, Sir Arthur Randall"

He held up the Queen's letter to prove his point.

Randall scowled at that, having his case taken from him.

Rioko snatched the papers that Abberline was holding and read through them. Since she was the messenger bird for this case, she had to find out what information the Yard had gathered and work from there.

She frowned when she didn't get much out of the reports.

"It looks like you haven't gotten many clues" she said.

Randall snatched the papers from her.

"We of Scotland Yard will solve this case" he insisted harshly.

"We don't need your interference"

Ciel just wore a dark smirk.

"Excellent. Let's go, Sebastian"

Everyone left the scene to go elsewhere.

"Now what do we do?" Madame Red asked.

"Seeing as you just let the police do all the dirty work for you" Aki added.

Ciel sighed as they walked.

"The best thing would probably be to visit _him" _he said.

Rioko raised an eyebrow.

"Him?" she repeated.

Lau looked surprised.

"My lord! You don't mean…"

Ciel nodded.

"Indeed I do" he said.

They walked down to one of the more deserted streets and stood in front of an Undertaker shop.

"So…where are we?" Lau asked.

Everyone pretty mush fell over anime style.

"You spoke as if you knew all about it, didn't you?" Aki snapped.

Lau just laughed innocently.

"It's a funeral parlor run by an acquaintance of the young master's" Sebastian explained.

"The Undertaker?" Sayuri asked.

Sebastian opened the door and let everyone into the dimly lit room. Coffins were all over the place and it reeked of death.

"Are you here, Undertaker?" Ciel called out.

Laugher could be heard echoing though out the room.

"I thought you'd drop by before long" someone said.

A coffin slowly opened to reveal the Undertaker behind it.

"Welcome, my lord" he greeted.

"Is today the day you'll condescend to enter one of my special coffins?"

Ciel gave him a dull look.

"Certainly not" he said.

"Today I-"

Undertaker cut him off.

"You don't have to tell me. I know" he said.

"That wasn't the type of customer fit for respectable people. I'll have you know, I made her beautiful"

Ciel gave him a serious look.

"I want to hear about it" he said.

Lau smirked.

"Ah, I see, so the funeral parlor is your cover up business" he said.

"How much is the info?"

Undertaker turned to him with a creepy look in his eye. He suddenly went up to him and got real close to his face.

"I have no desire for any of the Queen's coins!" he insisted.

He looked at Ciel and grabbed his face.

"Come on, my lord, give it to me!" he pleaded.

"Give me prime laughter! Do that, and I'll tell you everything"

Ciel sweat dropped at the sight of Undertaker.

"Freak" he muttered.

Lau stepped forward.

"Leave it to me" he said.

"Behold the genius of the man that Shanghai called the Sleeping Tiger of New Year parties!"

He went up to Undertaker and told his joke.

"Every calendar's days are numbered!"

Everyone just gave him a blank look. Obviously, they didn't get his supposed joke.

Madame Red sighed before stepped forward.

"If I must…Madame Red, the belle of fashionable society , will tell you her special story!" she declared.

"So, his 'beep' was completely flaccid and 'beep', but when I 'beep', the 'beep' tip started bobbing like 'beep'-"

Grell stopped her before she could go on any further. Luckily Sebastian and Sayuri covered their master's ears so they would have to hear anything.

Aki sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"Fine, I'll give it a shot" she said.

"You look like you're into really creepy stuff, so maybe you'll get a kick out of this"

(A/N: However, due to censorship, the writer couldn't repeat what Aki said for various reasons)

Everyone looked in horror at Aki's tale while some of them looked like they were about to throw up.

Sayuri sighed weakly and placed her face in her hand.

"Aki" she said weakly.

Rioko looked slightly green, since she heard what she said.

"You have a very sick mind" she said.

Aki just looked at everyone and shrugged.

"Man, tough crowd" she said.

Undertaker looked at Ciel when he placed tape over Aki, Lau and Madam Red's mouth so they wouldn't say anything else.

"Now, my lord, you're the only one left" he said.

"I gave you a special discount last time, but I won't do it again"

"Bloody hell…" Ciel sighed.

Sebastian stepped forward and adjusted his gloves.

"I see there's not help for it. Everyone, please wait outside. You must not peak inside on any account"

He ushered everyone outside before locking the door behind him. Everyone waited for a while to nothing.

"I wonder what he'll do?" Sayuri asked.

"I doubt that he'll make that Undertaker giggle" Aki said.

Just then, laughter erupted from the place, making the sign fall off.

Sebastian unlocked the door and opened it for everyone with that smile on his face.

"Please come in" he said.

"It appears he will tell us everything"

Undertaker was leaning on a coffin, trying to compose himself.

"I've seen my Utopia…" he said.

Everyone went inside and sat on a couple coffins, drinking tea from a few beakers.

Undertaker was holding a statue of a person that showed the inside on the body and rubbed its head.

"These days I often get customers who are _incomplete" _ he explained.

"Incomplete?" Sebastian asked.

Undertaker nodded.

"Yes, incomplete…the wombs are missing" he said.

"Thought the killer makes quite a violent splatter, the wombs themselves are neatly cut out"

That was quite disturbing.

"It was done on a public road, even if it was not a high-traffic one" Sayuri said.

"Wouldn't such an excision have been difficult for an amateur, particularly in the middle of the night?"

"You're a sharp one, maid. That's my opinion as well" Undertaker said.

" First the Ripper slashes their throats with a sharp hand weapon, then cuts _that _part open…and takes what's precious to them"

Rioko shivered at the details. It made her feel sorry that she was a female and was more vulnerable than males.

"I'm sure others will be killed" Undertaker said.

"People like that don't stop until someone stops them. Can you do it, o' villainous noble Lord Phantomhive?"

Ciel gave him a serious look.

"On the honor of my family crest, I eliminate anyone who defiles the Queen's garden, without exception…and by any means necessary"

/

Everyone had huddled back into the carriage when their meeting with Undertaker was over. They mulled over the information that they were given and tried to see if they could piece the clues together.

"What he said narrows the down the field of suspects considerable" Rioko said.

"First, those well versed in medicine or dissection. From among them, those who have no alibis for the nights before the murders' discoveries. And given the removal of internal organs, it seems ritualistic…so we should also consider those involved with secret societies and black magic"

Madame Red gave Rioko a weak smile when she heard the analyzing. She never expected a 14 year old girl to have this all figured out so quickly.

Ciel sighed as he heard Rioko bragging. He just had a feeling that she was trying to show off, but she did have a point. Since she was narrowing the list down, he would let it slide…for now that is.

"That doesn't narrow the field down slightly" Madam Red stated.

"I'm a doctor; _I _could have done the dissection! And summer is ending. Before another week passes, the Season will be over; and any doctors that noblemen brought from the country will go back ho-"

"Then we'll simply conclude our investigation before then" Sebastian suddenly said.

Sayuri looked to Rioko.

"Shall I go to the tea houses and gather information?" she asked.

Rioko nodded.

"That'll be the faster way to find out who the likely suspects are" she said.

"Be careful though"

"Bring Sebastian with you" Ciel also added.

"It'll make things go quicker"

Both servants nodded respectfully to their masters.

"Understood"

Sebastian opened the door to the moving carriage and looked at Grell.

"I'll leave the rest to you" he said.

A tick mark appeared on Aki's forehead.

"You're making me babysit four eyes and everyone else?" she snapped.

Sayuri gave her sister an apologetic smile.

"I have to go gather information on a few suspects" she said.

"It shouldn't be long"

She jumped out of the carriage and zipped off down the street to the nearest tea house. Sebastian quickly followed after her.

"Someone is in a hurry" the demon commented.

Sayuri just smirked.

"The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can find the killer" she said.

"Besides, I've done this loads of times, so it should be easy"

Sebastian just smirked.

"This, I must see" he said.

They arrived to one of the tea shops that Rioko owned and stepped inside. The owner of the place came rushing out to greet them.

"Welcome! Are you here for a date?"

Sayuri blushed, but quickly shook her head. She pulled out a pendant that held the Junshinto emblem on it and showed it to the owner.

"Actually, we're here to gather some information regarding the Jack the Ripper case" she said.

The owner suddenly grew serious and motioned them to follow him in the back where they would be out of earshot.

"What kind of information are you looking for?" he asked.

"Anything in regards of doctors that are here for the season and if they had alibis for when the murders that took place" Sayuri explained.

"And if they're involved with some type of secret society or black magic" Sebastian added.

The owner nodded before going into his office and picking up a pile of paper before going back and giving it to them.

"These are all the clients that have been here during the season and all the gossip regarding the murders" he explained.

"Hopefully, this is what you're looking for"

Sayuri took the papers and gave them to Sebastian to read through.

"I'll make sure Lady Rioko sends her regards for your help" she said.

The owner smiled at that.

"Anything to be of service for the young lady" he said.

"Enjoy the rest of your vacation"

The two servants left the tea house and ran through the city for their next location.

"Hopefully we'll be able to gather info on all these doctors and narrow the list down" Sayuri said.

Sebastian looked through the list as they ran.

"I'm sure I'll be able to come up with something thanks to this" he said.

Sayuri smirked slightly.

"I'm sure knowing you, you'll come up with quite a list" she said.

Sebastian just gave her a smirk.

"What kind of butler would I be if I wasn't able to do that much?" he asked.

Sayuri nodded.

"True, true. The best kind go beyond their master's expectation" she said.

The two of them quickly went from tea house to tea house gathering information. Soon, they created a list that would make Scotland Yard seem pathetic (at least more so than they already were).

/

Everyone made it back to the summer home after Grell took a wrong turn.

"How could you have missed the house?" Aki snapped.

"Even a blind person would have found it"

Grell had anime tears in his eyes as he was getting scolded. He rubbed the bump that Aki has so graciously given him. Rioko and Ciel could have sworn they saw the butler blushing when Aki hit him, as if he enjoyed it.

When Lau opened the door, everyone was surprised to see Sebastian and Sayuri already waiting for them.

"Good afternoon, your tea is ready" Sebastian said.

Madame Red pointed an accusing finger at them.

"How did you both get here?" she exclaimed.

"We finished with our errands, so we came home ahead of you" Sayuri explained.

"You already finished your suspect list?" Madame Red asked in astonishment.

"No" Sebastian said.

He held up a few rolls of parchment to show the lists that they came up with.

"We merely created a list of names based on the criteria we discussed, contacted them all, and directly collected their statements"

Madame Red gave them an all knowing look.

"Come now, even if you worked together, that would be impossible…"

Sebastian opened one of the long lists that they created and started reading names off at a rapid pace that shocked everyone (and made Grell blush).

Sayuri hid a smile behind her fan.

"Through this investigation, we've narrowed it down to one person who meets the criteria" she said.

Madame Red gave them an uneasy smile.

"Are you sure that you're just servants?" she asked.

"Are you sure you're not from military intelligence?"

Both servants wore all knowing grins.

"No, I am merely one hell of a butler" Sebastian said.

"And I'm simply an enchanting maid" Sayuri added.

"Plus, I've been doing this for quite a while"

Rioko picked up one of the lists and examined it.

"Wow, Sayuri. You're writing speed has gotten better" she said.

"Maybe I'll promote you to do all my paperwork for shipments on tea"

Sayuri gave her a stern look, but smiled a little.

"Now, now. A lady must never slack off in her work" she said.

"We have to show that we're just as capable of doings things as men are, maybe even better"

Sebastian placed a hand over his heart in mock hurt.

"You wound me, my lady" he said.

"And here I've been working so hard to please everyone"

Sayuri just giggled at his joke.

"Well, its looks like you'll have to try harder, now that you've got competition" she said.

The two servants simply grin at each other.

Aki rolled her eyes at the scene, but secretly ground her teeth. She didn't mind her sister being happy and enjoying herself, but she didn't like it that she having fun with that demon butler. Her over protectiveness started coming out and she wanted nothing more than to skin the blasted demon alive.

Hearing someone growling next to her, Aki turned to see Grell glaring at her sister. It seemed that he saw Sayuri as a rival for Sebastian's attention and didn't like it that the demon butler was giving it to her.

Aki sighed and pat Grell on the shoulder. Sure, he annoyed the crap out of her, but she didn't want to see the clumsy butler getting jealous over a stupid demon.

"Just get over it" she said.

"There are plenty of fish in the sea"

Grell blinked for a few seconds before blushing at the fact that Aki was touching him.

The Esper held the bridge of her nose when she felt a headache forming.

This was going to be a long day.

/

Later that night, everyone headed to one of the last parties that were being held for the Season. If they wanted to find the suspect on the list, their best bet was to find him at the party.

"Aleister Chambers, the Viscount Druitt…" Sebastian read off.

"He graduated from medical school, but has not gone into practice. He's thrown several parties at his home. However, people say he simultaneously holds secret parties that only his intimates may attend"

"I've heard rumors that he's into black magic and that sort of thing" Madame Red commented.

"So you suspect that at these underground parties, they perform ceremonies and sacrifice prostitutes?" Aki asked.

The carriage came to a stop when it arrived at the Viscount's manor.

Ciel accepted the footman's help out of the carriage and faced the manor. Instead of wearing his usual outfit, he was dressed up as a girl with a pink dress and long hair extensions.

"Tonight is the last party of the season" he said.

"We only have one chance"

Rioko covered her mouth when she felt a snicker forming in the back of her throat. She just couldn't get over the sight of Ciel dressed as a girl. It was humorous when she saw Sebastian put the corset on him, but this just toped the cake.

"_Oh man, this is pure black mail" _she thought.

Ciel glared at her when he heard her trying to cover up a laugh.

"Stop your laughing" he snapped.

"This is serious"

Rioko composed herself, but still had that goofy smile on her face.

"Alright, Ciel…or should I say _Michelle_?" she asked.

Ciel ground his teeth in frustration and looked like he was about to lunge at her, but Sebastian stopped him.

"Now, now. It isn't lady like to start a fight" he joked.

Aki snorted as she adjusted the cost to her outfit. She refused to wear a dress for the party, so she dressed up in a suit and pulled her hair back slightly.

Sayuri wore a light blue Kimono that had silver flower printed on it with a dark blue obi tied around her waist. Her hair was pulled up in a stylish twist and she had a few hair ornaments tuck in.

Rioko wore a similar outfit, only her Kimono was lavender and it had golden bellflowers on it. Her hair was pulled into a tight bun, where she had a bejeweled lotus hair comb tucked into it.

Everyone else was dressed up for the party as well and looked as stylish as ever, thanks to Madame Red.

When they got inside the party, they quickly went over their plans Madame Red instructed them with.

"Ciel is my niece visiting from the country, and Sebastian will play Ciel's tutor. Rioko is a family friend visiting from Kyoko with her maid and body guard. And Lau and Grell can just be themselves"

A tick mark appeared on Ciel's forehead.

"Why do I have to play your niece?" he asked.

Madame Red just giggled and hid behind her fan.

"I always wanted a girl" she said.

She suddenly grew serious and got close to him.

"And besides, you can't let them find out you're a Phantomhive, can you? What's more, I'm told the Druitt is a ladies' man of catholic tastes, so this is to your advantage!"

Rioko kept on giggling at the scenario.

"You know I can never let you live this down" she said.

"This is pure gold!"

"You did say use whatever means necessary" Sayuri admitted.

Ciel groaned in frustration. It seemed that his plan had backfired on him.

Aki rolled her eyes and headed for buffet table.

"I'm grabbing a drink" she muttered.

Everyone spread out to make themselves less noticeable and walked around the room.

"First, we must find the viscount" Sebastian said.

"With all these people here, it'll be like looking for a needle in a haystack" Sayuri commented.

"It's like everyone from London is here tonight"

Ciel shivered as he thought of something.

"I never want Elizabeth to see me in an outfit like this…" he muttered.

Rioko snorted.

"That would just make my night if she was here" she said.

"Finding out that her fiancé loves to dress up in girls clothes and he's ashamed to admit it to her"

Ciel was about to snap at her, but a voice made his blood run cold.

"Oh, that dress is so cute!"

Everyone whipped their heads around to see none other than Elizabeth admiring everyone's dresses. The young girl was all smiles as she went from girl to girl.

"I just adore all the dresses here!" she said.

"They're lovely!"

Rioko held her side as she doubled over laughing.

"Dreams do come true!" she said.

"Now all I need is for her to see Ciel like this and that'll make my night"

Sayuri covered her face with her fan in humiliation to her master's behavior.

"You've spent way too much time with Aki" she muttered.

Ciel was at a loss for words and simply stuttered.

"S-s-s-Sebas-"

"Young mas-er, mistress, please calm down" Sebastian said.

He slowly moved Ciel forward so they wouldn't be noticed.

"We'll take this opportunity to…"

Elizabeth squealed and pointed towards Ciel.

"That girl's dress is absolutely adorable!" she cried.

Now Ciel went into panic mode. True, he wanted to find the viscount and get this case done with. But his reputation as a Phantomhive was on the line. If Elizabeth found out that it was really him, then she would surely tell everyone.

Rioko saw him freaking out and sighed.

As much as she loved seeing him freak out and lose his cool, she felt bad for him. If he was found out, then his reputation among society would drop and he would lose everything that he worked so hard for and he wouldn't be able to pay off his debt to her. And she was not going to let that happen. She was willing to help him just this once.

"You owe me big time for this" she muttered to him.

She quickly walked over to Elizabeth and pretended to bump into her.

"Elizabeth?" she asked 'surprised'.

Elizabeth squealed when she saw her.

"Oh, Rioko! You're here too?"

Rioko resisted the urge to cringe at Elizabeth's high pitch voice.

"I sure am" she said.

"I needed to get a break from bugging Ciel, so I decided to come here and see what this Season is all about. I take it that's why you're here?"

Elizabeth nodded eagerly.

"And I just had to go to the parties so I could see all the lovely dresses!" she said.

"But after seeing you, yours is probably my favorite! I've never seen anything like it before, and the color is so pretty on you!"

Rioko smiled and rubbed the back of her head.

"It's called a Kimono" she said.

"They're common from where I'm from. If you stop by at my manor one day, I'll let you wear one and dress you up"

Elizabeth squealed at the prospect of getting dressed up.

"Lady Rioko"

Sayuri came up to them, looking as elegant as ever.

Elizabeth's eyes nearly popped out as they sparkled with delight.

"Oh, Sayuri! Your dress is absolutely breath taking!" she said.

"You look just like a princess!"

Sayuri smiled sweetly and bowed.

"I'm truly honored by your compliment, Lady Elizabeth" she said.

"And I must say, you look radiant in your dress. Red is the perfect color for you. It shows your vibrant spirit"

Elizabeth blushed at the compliment, but smiled brightly.

Sayuri turned to Rioko.

"Lady Rioko, I believe you wanted to see the Viscount" she said.

Rioko got the hint that she spotted him and wanted to start the next stage of the plan.

Rioko nodded and bowed to Elizabeth.

"It was nice seeing you, Elizabeth. Hopefully we'll meet up before the Season ends" she said.

Elizabeth smiled and nodded.

"Enjoy your night!"

They left the young girl behind and headed for the Viscount. Rioko sighed as she held her head.

"It amazes me how Ciel put's up with her" she said.

"She's nice and all, but she gives you a headache with that high pitched voice of hers"

Sayuri gave her mistress a weak smile.

"At least you took one for the team" she said.

"I'm sure Ciel is grateful that you helped him out"

"Yeah, well I'll just charge him extra on the debt that he owes me" Rioko replied.

She spotted the Viscount talking with Ciel over near the back of the room. The poor boy looked so helpless as he tried to act like a girl. Rioko smirked when she saw the look on Ciel's face when the Viscount wrapped his arm around his waist.

"I think it's payback time" she said.

She quickly rushed off to the Viscount to further torture Ciel.

Sayuri looked around and watched everyone having a good time at the party. She swayed slightly with the music and hummed in her head.

"Enjoying yourself?"

She jumped when she heard Sebastian and gave him a weak smile.

"As much as one can when they're trying to track down a murderer" she said.

"But other than that, I'm doing fine"

They watched as Ciel and Rioko pretended to flirt with the Viscount so they could get him somewhere else.

"That was fast thinking on Lady Rioko's part with the whole Lady Elizabeth incident" Sebastian said.

Sayuri nodded.

"Lady Rioko always took matter into her own hands" she admitted.

"She doesn't wait for others to fix everything"

She giggled a little.

"I guess that's what gets her in trouble half the time. She's so headstrong that she doesn't look before she leaps"

They saw Ciel ground his teeth as the Viscount's hand wandered lowered at his side. Rioko had a forced smile on her face and held her clenched fist at her side, ready to strike him, if needed.

"Poor Lady Rioko" she sighed.

Just then, they heard someone squealing from the other end of the room.

Elizabeth must have spotted Ciel, because she went running towards him.

That caused the sirens to go off in the servants heads. They couldn't stop her, or else they would give everything away.

"Looks like it's time to use my backup plan" Sebastian muttered.

Sayuri looked at him in confusion.

"Backup plan?" she repeated.

The demon butler nodded and held her hand.

"I'll be needing your assistance with this" he said.

Sayuri's face heated up at having her hand held so delicately. He wanted her help, when he showed that he was capable of doing anything on his own? This was too good to be true.

"A-alright" she said.

"What would you like me to do?"

Sebastian just gave her that usual smirk of his.

"Just follow my lead" he said.

Just as Elizabeth was about to pass them, Sebastian brought forth a large box out of nowhere and placed it in front of the young noble lady. He had a mask on, so she wouldn't see him and faced the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I will now perform a magic show for you, with the help of my lovely assistant" he said.

Sayuri blushed some more as Sebastian introduced her.

A crowd gathered around them at the prospect of seeing magic.

Sebastian pointed to Lau; who was busy pampering Madame Red, along with other males at the party.

"Could I ask for your cooperation, sir?" he asked.

Lau looked confused, but went along with the act.

"Me? Of course"

He went up to them and waited for further instructions.

Sayuri saw that the Viscount had lead Ciel and Rioko into a different room. She secretly nodded to Sebastian to let him know, which he nodded in response.

He held up a couple of swords and handed them to Lau.

"After I go inside the chest, you bind it tightly with chains. Then run it through with this sword. I shall come out perfectly unharmed"

Lau nodded as he took the sword.

Sebastian went into the chest while Sayuri went to lock him up.

"I hope you know what you're doing" she whispered.

Sebastian just smirked and placed a hand over his chest.

"What kind of butler would I be if I didn't live through this?" he asked.

"_A dead one" _Sayuri thought as she closed the doors. She tied the chains around the chest tightly and locked it before instructing Lau to carry on his part.

The Chinese merchant looked his sword in thought.

"All right, don't mind if I do" he said.

He went and plunged the sword…right at the top, where Sebastian's head was. Everyone paled at the sight, thinking that Lau pretty much killed the poor butler. Sayuri knew better since she was the only one in the crowd who knew that he was a demon, and could live through this…probably.

Lau acted like a ninja as he threw all his swords at the box and impaled every side that was visible. When he stopped, everyone stayed silent for a moment, fearing if the demon butler was still alive in there. They didn't see any blood, so that had to be a plus.

Sayuri secretly snapped the chains off with her Esper magic and watched as Sebastian came out unharmed.

Everyone applauded for the show and tried asking for an encore.

"That was amazing, Sebastian!" Madame Red said.

"Indeed!" Lau said.

"I was rather afraid I might have killed you"

Sebastian smirked a little.

"Yes, it did hurt a little" he admitted.

"But I didn't expect you to go right for my head. Anyone else would have been dead"

Madame Red started chewing Lau out for even trying to stab him in the head, while Sayuri walked away with Sebastian.

"That was quite a show" The Esper said.

"How did you do that?"

Sebastian placed a finger to his lips.

"A magician never reveals his secrets" he said.

Sayuri shook her head with a small smile on her face.

"How silly of me to ask" she said.

She looked at the door that Ciel and Rioko went into with the Viscount. She hoped that they were ok. If the Viscount was into black magic and really was the murderer, then they were in grave danger.

"Maybe I should go check up on them" she said.

She went to leave, but Sebastian stopped her.

"There's no need for that" he said.

"As long as the young master doesn't call for me, they're in no harm. We'll just wait until we're called for"

Sayuri brushed a few strands of hair out of her face.

"Very well" she said.

"Then what shall we do while we're waiting?"

Sebastian just wore that devilish smirk on his face and gave her a bow.

"Would you honor me with a dance, my lady?" he asked.

Sayuri's face went beat red. She never thought that she would be dancing with a handsome demon like Sebastian in a million years. This was too real.

"O-oh, I don't know" she insisted.

"I-I should see what Aki is doing and-"

She stopped when she saw her sister having a drinking contest with Grell and Lau at one of the champagne tables.

Grell looked like he was about to pass out from having his fifth drink while Aki and Lau were starting on their tenth. The fire Esper looked totally drunk as she downed the glass before getting another.

"You got nothing on me, fortune cookie!" she slurred to Lau.

The Chinese merchant laughed like an idiot as half of his drink dribbled out of his mouth from missing.

"Is that the best you got?" he slurred.

The two of them kept at it and drank until there were hardly any beverages on the table.

Sayuri's head fell as she sweat dropped. Why, oh why did her sister have to act like that while they were trying to find a killer? And in public no less.

She gave Sebastian a weak smile and held out her hand.

"I would be honored" she said.

Sebastian chuckled slightly as he led her to the dance floor. The Esper felt heat rise up in her cheeks when he placed his hand on her waist, but didn't let it show. She had never been so close to a male before, so she didn't know how to react to being with one. Being the head maid for a family meant you didn't have a lot of time to date or see someone. You're attention was always focused on your master.

The servants danced perfectly as they twirled and spun on the dance floor. Everything was so magical. Well, except Aki getting louder and louder as she drank more, but that was it.

Sayuri sighed as she heard her sister swearing at Lau.

"If you have siblings, I pity you" she said to her dance partner.

Sebastian just gave her a smirk.

"I'm afraid I don't have the 'luxury' of having siblings" he said.

"Being a demon usually means you're an only child"

"Lucky you" Sayuri said sarcastically.

"How I've managed to live with my sister for this long is beyond me. She's always been this crazy for as long as I can remember-well, at least what I can remember. It amazes me that she's still alive with all the little stunts that she pulls"

"And I take it Espers have a very long life span?" Sebastian asked as he twirled her.

"Yes. Or at least what Aki says" Sayuri replied.

"Although I want to remember my past on my own, I usually need to ask her about everything that deals with Espers and their powers. Don't want to get hurt from miss using my powers"

"A wise choice" Sebastian said.

Sayuri nodded and sighed.

"It does cause me trouble though" she said.

"It's hard to remember what I used to do in my past. I always get the feeling that I did something very important. I don't know if it was good or bad, but I need to know"

She suddenly grew embarrassed for rambling on and bowed her head.

"Forgive me, I didn't mean to say so much" she said.

"It's just that this is very important to me and I tend to get carried away when talking about it"

Sebastian just chuckled.

"Think nothing of it" he said.

"It's something that you have your heart set on. You're after something that people wish they didn't have half the time. Being able to remember who you were is something very important"

Sayuri smiled.

"Thank you" she said.

Sebastian bowed when the dance was over.

"I wish for you the best of luck, Lady Sayuri" he said.

Sayuri waved him away embarrassingly.

"Just Sayuri" she said.

"I'm a maid after all. No need to be formal"

Sebastian smirked.

"Very well…Sayuri"

Sayuri fought the blush that was forming in her cheeks. Why was she acting this way whenever he was around?

Sebastian stood up and looked towards where their masters went.

"I suppose we let them have their fun long enough" he said.

"Might as well go get them"

Sayuri nodded and followed after the demon into the back room. Sebastian carefully opened it up and looked around the room, only to find nobody there.

"Must have went through a secret door or something" Sayuri said.

They looked around the room and found a smaller door hiding behind a curtained wall. The door lead down a dark hallway, where voices could be heard.

"Want to bet that they're down there?" Sayuri asked.

Sebastian just smirked as he adjusted his gloves.

"I'm thinking the wages are high" he replied.

They quietly went down the pathway and found a group of people wearing masks sitting in front of a cage that contained Rioko and Ciel. It was as if they were being auctioned off and the Viscount was making wages.

Sayuri looked at Sebastian.

"You take them out while I set our masters free?" she suggested.

Sebastian smiled at the idea.

Sayuri's eyes turned gold as she waved her fan to blow the candles out. The whole room was plunged into darkness, so nobody would see Sebastian taking everyone out.

When everyone was knocked out, the candles were lit up again, to show Rioko and Ciel still locked up in the cage.

Sebastian sighed.

"Good grief" he said.

"You two truly are good for nothing but getting capture lately"

"Well excuse us for not knowing that this freak likes to have hallucinogens wafting through the air" Rioko retorted.

Sayuri froze the bars before breaking them off.

"Did you two have fun playing the damsels in distress?" she asked.

Ciel scoffed as he was lifted out of the cage. He had spent enough time being dressed as a girl to last him for ages.

Sebastian broke their binds then looked at the knocked out Viscount.

"Well, this solves the Jack the Ripper case" he said.

Ciel nodded.

"It was unexpectedly easy…" he admitted.

Rioko kicked him in the side in a bored manner. She was really tempted to shoot him with the gun she kept in her Kimono, but she didn't want to get in trouble with the police.

"I bet Scotland Yard will be here soon" she said.

"We should get out of here"

Sayuri nodded and picked her mistress up.

"I'll let Aki take care of the rest" she said.

"Consider it payback for getting drunk on the job"

Sebastian followed her example and picked Ciel up before opening the nearest window.

Both of them jumped out and soared into the night sky, before heading back to the manor. Everyone had partied enough for the night, and now it was time to rest.

Especially since they caught Jack the Ripper.

/

Ciel slammed the morning paper down when he read the head article.

Jack the Ripper strikes again?

That threw everyone off. They were certain that it was the Viscount since he was the only suspect left on the list.

"So that means the Viscount wasn't our man?" Madame Red said.

Rioko slumped in her seat.

"And we went through all that trouble too!" she pouted.

Ciel ground his teeth in frustration at having failed his task.

Sayuri felt bad for the poor Earl. He went through so much just to try to get the Viscount, only to find out that he was innocent-well, to an extent.

Everyone was so caught up in their own dilemmas that they didn't notice the serious look on Sebastian's face.

It seemed that he knew what was going on, and he wasn't going to tell any time soon.

/

**A/N: It looks like Sayuri is starting to have a crush on Sebastian! Next up, we get to see the real Grell! I'm sure you're all looking forward to that. **

**Please review and tell me what you think.**

**Ja ne!**


	10. Encounter

Chapter 9: Encounter

**A/N: Since I got the second volume to the Black Butler DVD, I've decided to spread my good mood and write another chapter. And it should be a good chapter because we get to see the real Grell now!**

**I want to thank everyone for the reviews I've gotten, You guys seem to enjoy seeing Grell mistake Aki for a boy ^-^. Don't worry, once we see the true Grell, things will just get worse for the poor fire Esper.**

**I also have a little poll set for you guys. Which is your favorite Oc in the story so far? Is it Sayuri, Aki or Rioko? Let me know in your reviews!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Black Butler; I just own my oc's.**

**Enjoy!**

/

Ciel groaned in frustration as he slammed the paper down. How could he have miscalculated something as serious as this?

He thought the Viscount was surely Jack the Ripper since he had no alibi. But after seeing the latest victim in the morning paper, he was proved wrong.

Rioko flopped into her seat and ran a hand down her face.

"The Viscount didn't go anywhere last night" she said.

"How is this possible?"

Sayuri looked grim as she read the paper. She just couldn't believe that there was still someone out there who took pleasure in killing these women. True, she didn't approve of their life styles, but that didn't mean they had to be killed off for it.

This was becoming such a big mess.

"Looks like we're back to square one" she said.

Aki swore under her breath.

"You mean we have to go back on a wild goose chase again?" she asked.

"Thanks, but count me out"

"You never want to be involved with anything" Rioko retorted.

"If it doesn't deal with blowing stuff up or drinking, you simply think it's boring"

Aki glared at her master and was about to say something snippy, but Sayuri stopped her.

"Why don't we just go over the list again?" she suggested.

"Surely there must have been a suspect that we over looked. It wouldn't hurt to double check"

Ciel sighed in a tired manner.

"That sounds like a good idea right about now" he said.

"Sebastian, the list"

The demon butler handed his master the list of suspects that he and Sayuri created.

Ciel took the first half while he handed the second one to Rioko.

The Junshinto head scanned through the names and alibis with fast eyes. After years of looking through lists of customers who owed her money, it became a second nature to her.

She looked at Sayuri when she saw her standing there, waiting for her next orders.

"This will take a while" she said.

"Go relax until I call for you"

Sayuri nodded.

"Yes, My Lady"

Aki stifled a yawn behind her hand.

"I'm gonna get a drink"

She looked at Grell, who nervously stood still, not knowing what to do.

"Hey four eyes, ever had Sake before?"

Grell jumped a little at being addressed to then blushed when he realized that Aki was talking to him.

"W-why no, I c-can't say that I have" he stuttered.

Aki wrapped an arm around his shoulder and lead him into the kitchen.

"I think a drink is what you need to help unwind that tight spring you've bind yourself into" she said.

"Maybe then you won't be such a total klutz when it comes to regular things"

Grell blushed madly when he was lead away from the room. He seemed to be on cloud 9 with Aki holding him slightly.

Sayuri decided to make herself some tea while she waited for her mistress' orders.

"I think Oolong tea is the best choice with this type of weather" she thought to herself.

And it was. With it looking like it was going to rain, the best remedy to have was a warm drink.

She pulled out the necessities that she would need to start the tea. She filled up a kettle full of water and let it set on the burner so it could warm up while preparing a tea cup on its saucer.

She scanned the cupboards for the tea leaves, but couldn't find any.

"Where are they?" she asked herself.

She searched high and low for the little box. She didn't think that Ciel would run out of tea, considering how much he drank it. He must have hid it somewhere so Madam Red and Lau wouldn't use them. She smiled when she found the box on the highest shelf in the counter.

"There is it"

She stood on her tip toes to try to reach it. She was rather short, which made it almost impossible to grab things out of reach. That was why she always had the things that she would need for the day on lower shelves so she wouldn't have to jump up to grab them.

She pouted a little when she almost grabbed the box but had it slip through her fingers.

"Shoot" she said.

She tried jumping for it again, but she ended up with the same results.

Just then, a hand shot up and grabbed the box for her.

Sebastian wore a slight smirk across his face as he held up the box containing the tea leaves.

"Is this what you were trying to get?" he asked.

Sayuri blushed a little, but nodded.

"Thank you" she said as she took the box from him.

Sebastian watched as she mixed the tea leaves with the boiling water. He found it rather amusing that an Esper like herself couldn't even reach for something in the cabinet. It was funny to see her act like a human.

"I must say, that was quite humorous" he said.

"To think that an enchanting being like yourself couldn't do something as simple as reaching for a small box in a cabinet"

Sayuri laughed nervously at that.

"What can I say? I guess even a supernatural being like myself has her limits" she said.

"But then again, it wouldn't be fun if I was good at everything. I like to challenge myself every once in a while and see if I'm able to pull something off"

She smirked slightly at him.

"But you're not like that. You seem to have no limits to your abilities. If I didn't know that you were a demon, I would have thought you were a god of some kind"

Sebastian simply bowed to her in a mocking matter.

"What can I say? I'm just one hell of a butler" he said.

"And I do enjoy seeing the reaction on everyone's faces with half of the tasks that I perform. No matter how many times I perform them, they simply can't get over it"

Sayuri giggled.

"That they do" she admitted.

"It was rather funny when you showed everyone the list you created for the Jack the Ripper suspects. I thought Madam Red was going to have a heart attack with all of the suspects you came up with"

Her smile faltered as she thought about the case that they were busy trying to crack.

"Although it is rather sad that we still haven't found out who the killer is" she said.

"After killing so many women, you would think the killer would leave some kind of clue to the way that they kill. Obviously the person is a doctor who has skills when it comes to surgery, but surely there's a certain way that this person operates. Everyone has their own way of performing tasks"

Sebastian was impressed by how knowledgeable she was with all of this. True, he knew that she was rather smart and tended to pick up things real quickly. But to be able to narrow the list of suspects in such a casual matter was impressive.

It seemed that came with running a tea company and knowing when to weed out bad clients.

"I have to agree with you on the theory that this is no ordinary surgeon" he said.

"But try not to blow this all out of proportion. The case is a lot more simpler than you think. You don't have to think too hard on who the killer might be"

Sayuri blinked in confusion. What was he getting at?

"Whatever to do you mean?" she asked.

Sebastian just smirked darkly and tapped her on the nose.

"Sometimes the answers are standing right in front of us" he said.

"We may not know it in the beginning, but it's up to us to figure out what it is"

Sayuri felt her blood run cold as she looked into his demonic red eyes. She had never seen such a shade before in her life. It was haunting yet beautiful at the same time and fit Sebastian well. He had the face that would made any woman swoon over him, but he had the soul of a corrupted being. He could look as innocent as much as he wanted, but his eyes were the portal to his soul. No matter how hard he tried, he could never hide his true self entirely.

Sebastian stepped away and gave her a bow.

"I'll let you go enjoy your tea" he said.

"But just remember what I've said"

The Esper watched as he left the kitchen to go tend to his master.

She placed a hand on her cheek when she felt it go warm. She had never blushed so much in her entire life! Even when she saw handsome men coming to the Junshinto home, she would never blush while the other maids did. It was as if she was immune to such human feelings. And yet here she was, red as a tomato because of the way Sebastian looked at her.

She sighed and poured herself a cup of tea.

"What a strange butler" she muttered.

/

Ciel slammed the documents down in frustration. It was well into nighttime now and they couldn't find a single suspect that could fill in the Jack the Ripper case. They double checked and triple checked, but they came up empty.

"The population of London alone is 4.5 million" he simply stated.

"And that swells further during the season. By simply relaxing the conditions, the numbers of suspects increase"

"Giving a little history lesson isn't going to help us find the killer" Rioko said through her work.

"Instead of giving a crash course on the residents of London, why don't you go back to seeing if one these alibis don't fit? I said I would help, but I'm not doing all of the work"

Ciel growled but went back to researching. She was right, he would give her that. But she didn't need to be so snippy about it. It was probably because it was late and they had been doing this the whole day. Even he was crabby at this point.

"Still at it, are you?"

Madam Red came over with a chess board in hand.

"All work and no play makes dull children" she said.

"What say you two take a break?"

Ceil eyed the chess board.

"The chess set, eh? That brings back memories" Ciel.

"Doesn't it just?" Madam Red grinned.

"I got it out because I knew you would be here"

She went over to the table that they were hovering over and shoved the papers side.

"Break time!" she chirped.

A tick mark appeared on the young Earl's head. He had been working so hard looking through that list and now his aunt messed it up.

Rioko knelt on the floor and started picking them up.

"Go ahead and spend some time with your aunt" she said.

"I'll go through the rest of the list"

She sat on the couch and read through the list once more, never taking her eyes off of it.

"Well, in that case; Grell see to the tea!" Madam red said.

The clumsy butler staggered into the room with a slight reddish hue to his cheeks. It seemed that he couldn't hold his liquor well and was drunk out of his mind.

Aki just shrugged before taking a swing from her huge Sake jug.

"Some people just can't handle their liquor" she muttered.

"Since it is evening, I have prepared an herbal tea of rosehips" he said.

Everyone took a sip of the tea and had to spit it out right away since it tasted so bad.

"How can herbal tea be salty?" Madam Red exclaimed.

"And you call yourself a butler!"

Despite being slightly drunk, Grell managed to have one of his freak out moments.

"But-but, I'm still a butler through and through!" he insisted.

Sayuri replaced Grell's tea and made some of her famous green tea.

Everyone watched as she walked away to help Sebastian write down a few notes regarding the suspect list. Madam Red eyed them carefully, as if amazed by how skillful they could be.

"By contrast, your servants are rather competent, or should I say hard workers, or…not particularly?"

"If Sayuri and Sebastian are that able, you may as well leave the investigation f the Viscount's residence and all the rest to them"

Ciel wore a clam, sullen look on his face as viewed his chess pieces. Rioko just wore a serious expression as she viewed the suspects. She really didn't like it when people talked about her servants as if they were well trained pets. They were living beings too.

Ciel picked up his knight and moved it a square.

"Sebastian is both my 'might' and my 'hands and feet'. He is but a chessman" he said.

"And only I, the 'horseman' can move the 'horse'. If I were to defeat my opponent with an 'automation of a chessman', the achievement could not be considered 'my own'. I was given the orders…and without them, he had been disciplined to move not so much as a muscle"

Rioko snorted at that and looked up from her work.

"This is where you and I see things differently" she said.

"While you few your butler as nothing more than a chess piece, I view Sayuri and Aki differently. They act as my 'sword and shield', but I don't keep them on a leash"

She grabbed a knight and twirled in her hand.

"They're kind of like wild dogs if you think about it" she said.

"You need to know where you stand with them. One wrong move and they'll bite your hand off. The tighter you pull on their leash, the more they're going to try to pull away. The more you abuse them, the more they'll work behind you. You need to know who you're associating with or else it'll cost you greatly"

Sayuri and Aki didn't say anything to this. What Rioko said was true. Even before they served her, they were considered as pets to their creator. They weren't human, so they were never considered as living beings. They were only made to serve their master.

Ciel gave Rioko a dangerous glare, knowing that she was egging him on about having a demon butler. She was smart, he would give her that. But she had a tendency to rub it into his face.

" However, you might say the sole difference between Sebastian and this 'knight'…that he is a 'knight' who can move to any square in one fell swoop" Ciel continued.

He knocked one of his aunt's pawns off the board in an illegal manner.

"Like that"

Madam red pouted when she saw that.

"That's against the rules!" she insisted.

Ciel smirked darkly.

"Indeed. That is if we were playing a 'game' of 'chess'. But this world is not chess game, where one cannot win if not playing by the rules. Without fail, players will break the rules…and chessmen will betray players. And if I'm to play games with their like on equal footing, I've no chance at victory if I didn't break the rules myself, right? On this chessboard of Great Britain that we call our home, letting one's guard down immediately amounts to…"

He slammed his knight down in from of his aunt's queen.

"Checkmate"

Madam Red looked at her nephew sadly. He was not the same, cheerful little boy that she once knew. He was simply an empty shell of what he once was.

"Surely there must have been…another way for you to live, one that didn't involve you becoming the Underworld's watchdog" she said slowly.

"I'm certain my elder sister-your mother-would've wished for it too. Despite that, here you are…have you returned, after all, to the underworld…because you wish to avenge my murdered sister and her husband?"

Rioko looked up from her paper work to look at Ciel. She always wondered what he felt about the death of his parents. She knew they were murdered around 3 years ago, but that was it. She didn't know how or why they were killed. All she knew was that he became an Earl at such a young age.

Maybe that was why he made a deal with Sebastian. Why else would a child make contact with a demon?

Ciel wore an emotionless look on his face when his aunt mentioned about that incident. He never spoke about it and he felt that he had no need to. His parents were dead and that was it. Talking about them wasn't going to bring them back to life.

Madam Red looked at her nephew sadly.

"Neither my sister and brother-in-law…nor Lizzie and I would want that" she said.

Ciel gave his aunt a serious stare.

"I…have never once thought to avenge my parents or anything of that sort" he said.

"Were I to avenge them, the dead still would not come back to live…much less be able to enjoy the sweet taste of revenge. Calling it 'vengeance' or a 'battle of revenge' is just a glossing over the truth. Such utterances amount to nothing more than the selfishness of the survivors, after all…a luxury of the living wouldn't you say? I…did not return to Phantomhive for the sake of the previous head. I returned for myself. All I want is to give those who betrayed and defiled the name of Phantomhive…a taste of humiliation…and pain…that I suffered"

Sayuri looked at the young Earl sadly. She had no idea that such ideas could come from such a little boy. Boys his age would be thinking about playing outside and wanting to hear bedtime stories from their mothers. Wanting to get back at the ones who humiliated him seemed just too much for someone his age.

She bit her lip sadly, thinking how humans could so amazing, yet cruel at the same time. They committed sins that were so foul, that not even demons would do it. They killed others in ways that it would leave you nightmares and would do anything to get what they wanted, even if it meant hurting others. It scared her that there could be so much darkness in a heart.

"I guess humans will be persuaded by anything" she muttered to herself.

She never noticed that Sebastian looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

Madam Red sighed in frustration when she saw that she lost again.

"That makes forty-six losses in a row for me" she whined.

Rioko rolled her eyes, never realizing how bad of a player Madam Red was until just then. Even she didn't suck that bad.

Madam Red smiled softly at Ciel.

"You've always been good at this kind of thing, and I've been losing to you since way back when" she said.

"I still remember the day you were born as if it were yesterday"

"Oh boy" Aki muttered under breath.

Not another of those baby moments. Hearing about them simply made her want to puke. Nobody cared about hearing when they were born or how cute they looked. They always looked the same when they were born. Bald, fat and loud, that's all they were. If anyone had a story about how their kid was born with an extra limb, then should would be interested. But for stories like these, the fire Esper would just drown it out by taking a huge swig of her drink and pretend that she wasn't listening.

"I'd just started out as a nurse…and I didn't know what to do during the delivery. As a newborn, you were so tiny and precious…and I felt I had to protect you" Madame Red continued.

She went up to Ciel and placed her hand on his face.

"Though, in the end, I couldn't bear any children of my own…to me, you're like my real son. And as a mother to her son, I want you to wash your hands of the Underworld"

Ciel closed his eyes and gently pushed his aunt's hand away.

"I'm here now because I wished for it" he said.

"I made the choice. So…I have no regrets, and…I do not wish to depend..on anyone"

Just then the evening clock rang, signaling everyone that it was getting late.

Ciel rose from his seat and went to kiss his aunt on the cheek.

"It's been fun, Madam" he said.

Madam Red looked surprised, then quickly composed herself.

"Oh…yes, it has" she said.

She watched as Ciel headed for upstairs. Rioko yawned and placed her papers down.

"I should probably go to bed too" she said.

As she placed her papers down, a certain name popped up at the top of the list. The young head looked surprised for a second, but quickly hid it, so no one would notice. How could she have been so careless that she didn't even bother to look through that person's records?

Quickly wishing everyone goodnight, she headed upstairs so she could tell Ciel about her findings.

Madam Red sighed when she saw Rioko go upstairs.

"Why must they shoulder such heavy burdens?" she asked.

Sayuri started cleaning up the mess. Everyone who met Rioko would ask the same thing. They found it odd that a young lady would act so serious on certain topics. And as always, she had to give out the same explanation.

"Lady Rioko has been like that since I can remember" she said.

"Since her parents died when she was just an infant, she grew up being rather independent and tends to take care of things on her own. She won't ask for help unless she really needs it. Being the head of a family means you need to take matters into your own hands, no matter how dirty they may seem"

"The young master is no different" Sebastian said.

"My master always carries out his word…even if the path he must walk as a result is long, dark…and cold. That is why…I have vowed to serve by my young master's side"

Madam Red placed her hands under her chin in thought.

"I suppose he'll keep going on even if I try to stop him…" she muttered.

She got up suddenly and headed for the door.

"It's getting late. I should probably head home" she said.

Sebastian handed her, her coat and watched as she put it on. The madam wore a serious look when she faced Sebastian.

"Sebastian. I know I shouldn't ask this of you when we barely know each other…but don't ever leave his side...so he doesn't stray off his path and wander alone"

Sebastian looked slightly surprised, but he quickly covered it up with a grin and gave her a bow.

"Of course. I shall stay by his side and protect him until the end" he said.

Madam Red smiled slightly at that.

"That's good to hear"

Grell stood near the doorway with an umbrella in his hands.

"I'm here to escort you back home, my lady" he said.

No one ever saw the grim, serious look on the Madam's face.

/

Ciel gave Rioko a dull glare as he watched her sit on his bed. Both were wearing their pajamas and were going over some last minute details over the suspects.

"Is there really a reason why you're in my room this late?" Ciel asked.

Rioko didn't look up from her work as she spoke.

"Considering that there's a killer on the loose, I don't think there needs to a reason"

She peered over the page to look at him.

"You want to find this Jack the Ripper as much as I do. And every minute we waste looking through these files and doing nothing means that another prostitute will get killed. It shouldn't matter how late it's getting or how improper it is to be in someone's room. We need to find this killer"

Ciel blinked, and then gave her a cold smile. It seemed that even she could be serious about certain cases.

"Very well then" he said.

Rioko looked at the file that she saw earlier and contemplated about if she should tell Ciel or not. She knew that he wouldn't let anything sway him from protecting London or finishing a case, but she didn't know how he would react to this.

"Hey, Ciel" she said.

The Earl gave her a tired glare.

"What?"

Rioko sighed and handed over the file.

"I found this when I was picking up the documents that your aunt dropped" she said.

"I don't know if you've gone through it or not, but I think you should have a look"

Ciel raised an eyebrow and took the file from her. Just as he was about to read it, Sebastian entered the room, followed shortly by Sayuri.

"Well?" he asked.

Sebastian held up the documents that he was going over and flipped through them.

"No matter how I look at it, the result is still the same" he said.

Ciel sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Yesterday's murder…the viscount didn't do it"

"Exactly" Sebastian said.

"None of the people in his mansion could have done it either"

A serious look appeared on Rioko's face.

"Indeed. No _person _could have moved the quickly" she said.

Sayuri gave her mistress a puzzled look.

"My lady?"

Rioko had a grim look on her face as she looked at Sebastian.

"I'm sure you know what I'm talking about"

The butler had a cold smile on his face.

"But of course" he said.

Ciel looked just as confused as Sayuri was. What in the world were they talking about? Just then, it dawned on him what was going on.

He glared at Sebastian.

"Sebastian…you didn't…"

Sebastian merely bowed to him.

"I've told you before, that I never lie" he said.

He went over the documents.

"Tied with medicines, involved with black magic, lacking alibis for the nights that the bodies were found. The only _human _that fit that description was the Viscount"

Sayuri blinked a couple of times before she realized what Sebastian was saying. Now his words from before made perfect sense.

_Sometimes the answers are standing right in front of us._

So that's why Sebastian said that the case was a lot simpler than she thought.

Ciel glared at Sebastian.

"I see now" he said.

"You bastard"

Sebastian merely placed his hand over his chest.

"But I'm simply one hell of a butler" he said.

"As you well know, I only carry out the orders that my master has directly given out to me. You need only say the words; I will become your knight. Now why not move me to check?"

It seemed that the group had made a move on the Jack the Ripper case.

/

"Can someone explain to me why the hell we're here?" Aki asked.

They were standing out near a back alley where it pouring rain. It also didn't help that they were freezing cold.

Ciel wore commoner clothing so he could blend in better while everyone else just stayed in their regular clothes.

"Because we think that Jack the Ripper will come here next" Ciel said.

"This is the only way that someone could come through here, so we'll be able to catch the killer this way"

Aki swore under her breath and stuck a cigarette in her mouth. Being a fire esper meant that rain and anything that had to do with water was her enemy. She couldn't use her powers very well and she became crabbier than usual.

"Fantastic" she spat.

Sayuri was actually enjoying the feeling the rain hitting against her face. It was refreshing and relaxed her almost. But it could have been because her esper powers were tied with water and ice.

"Oh, cheer up, will you?" Rioko said.

"We're this close to getting the killer, so once this is over, we'll be able to go back to the house"

"Like I give a crap" Aki spat.

"Why did you drag me here in the first place? You seemed to be doing well, tracking the killer on your own. I hate the rain, so why pull in into this?"

"Because you have more insight about the killer than we do" Sebastian said.

"And you seemed to know more about supernatural beings. So we're making use of you for the time being"

Aki glared at the demon.

"I don't recall ever asking you anything, now did I?" she snapped.

Ciel sighed in annoyance.

"Oh, just suck it up, will you?" he asked.

"We've got a killer to capture. Your priorities aren't important at the moment"

Aki glared at the young Earl.

"You keep that tone up with me and you'll be the next victim that they find in the morning" she hissed.

Ciel scoffed.

"I'm not a female, so I wouldn't be part of the Jack the Ripper case" he said.

"Oh? This is coming from the boy who dressed in drag the other night?"

Ciel glared at her.

"Why you cheeky little-"

"Oh will you both stop!" Sayuri snapped.

Everyone looked at her surprised. The esper gave them a harsh stare.

"In case you haven't noticed, but we have a killer to track down" she said.

"Now cut it off with this useless bickering and focus on capturing the killer. We don't want another body to be found, do we?"

Everyone quickly calmed down as she said that. She was right. They didn't have time to be bickering with each other. They would have to save it for when a killer wasn't on the loose.

"Well played, my lady" Sebastian said.

Sayuri regarded him with a nod. She was too worked up to blush at the moment.

"It comes with having a sister and a mistress bickering with each other to no end" she said.

Rioko rolled her eyes.

"So with this entire aside, don't you think that these murdered victims have something in common?" she asked.

"I mean, besides with the missing organs and all"

Ciel looked up at the sky in thought.

"I've been wondering about that as well" he said.

"Did you find anything when you looked through the files, Sebastian?"

He looked at his butler, only to see the demon cuddling up with a cat that passed by.

The young Earl grew mad at that. They had a job to do and he was off cuddling with a cat.

"Will you put that cat down? We have a murderer to catch!"

Sebastian looked up from squeezing the cat's paws.

"Forgive me. But she's such a rare beauty" he said.

Sayuri giggled at the sight and scratched the cat behind the ears. She had to admit that she thought cats were very adorable creatures. They were so cute and lively that they could just put a smile on her face. She even had one back in Japan.

Ciel and Rioko shook the heads at the sight. Despite their servants being incredible, they sure had silly weaknesses.

They thought back to when they were back at the house and went over the information that Sebastian gave them.

/

"_It was impossible for a human being to do it" Ciel stated._

_He glared at Sebastian._

"_I see….you bastard"_

_Sebastian just smirked and bowed._

"_I have spoken the truth many times from the very beginning" he said._

"_Likewise, I have not __**remotely **__lied with respect to the results of our inquiry. 'Someone well-versed in medical science and anatomy'. 'Someone involved with a secret society and black magic'. And 'someone with no alibi on the nights of the murders'. The only __**human being **__that____fits that description is the Viscount of Druitt"_

_A tick mark appeared Ciel and Rioko's forehead._

"_So you mean to tell me that you had us going on a wild goose chase?" Rioko asked._

_Sebastian just smirked._

"_I had to give you something to do in the meantime" he said._

_Ciel threw a pillow at him, obviously missing._

"_You bastard" he hissed._

_He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. All that work they did seemed to have gone down the drain._

"_Is he…the same as you?" he asked._

_Sebastian shook his head._

"_No, he's not"_

"_What about an Esper like Sayuri and Aki?" Rioko asked._

_Aki shook her head._

"_If there was an Esper nearby, I would have known" she said._

"_Besides, it's very rare to see a male Esper"_

_Sayuri looked at Sebastian._

"_Then if he's not a demon or an Esper, what is he?"_

_Sebastian looked at them for a moment, then sighed._

"_He is-"_

/

The sound of someone screaming alerted their attention.

They quickly ran to the house where the last victim was at.

"How is that possible?" Ciel exclaimed.

"There is no way that someone could have gotten in without passing us"

Aki pulled out her pistol and kicked the door opened.

The sight that they saw made their stomachs churn. Blood was splattered all over the place ranging from the floor to the walls. The prostitute's corpse was on the ground, with her guts spilled all over the place.

It was a truly horrifying scene.

Sebastian and Sayuri quickly covered their master's eyes so they wouldn't have to see, but it was too late.

Rioko was so sick by the sight that she threw up.

Aki held her pistol out and undid the safety.

"Come out!" she barked.

"You have nowhere to run"

Slowly, the person stepped out of the house.

Sebastian wore a cruel smirk on his face.

"You have made quite a mess of things…'Jack the Ripper'" he said.

"Or should I say…Grell Sutcliff?"

Sure enough, Madam Red's clumsy butler stepped out into the rain. Blood was splattered all over his face, that it made him look creepy.

Grell looked terrified and held his hands up defensively.

"N-no, this is…I rushed in because I heard the screams, but she was already…"

"Already what?" Aki spat.

"We've been keeping an eye on this path the whole time. How did you manage to enter that room without us not knowing? Do you really plan to act innocent looking like that?"

"Enough of this mister, Grell" Sebastian said.

"No-even 'Grell Sutcliff' is just an assumed identity, so…what say you cease this silly act?"

He smirked darkly.

"This is my first time meeting 'someone of your kind' in the human world" he admitted.

"You did a splendid job acting as one of them"

Grell bowed his head when he knew he was caught. His shoulders shook a little before he started laughing darkly.

When he looked up again, he flashed them a wide, toothy grin and his eyes changed to a yellowish-green.

"Is that so?" he asked.

He undid the tie to his hair and started pulling off his disguise.

"Hit the nail on the head, did you" he said.

"I _am _an actress, honey. And a first rate one, at that"

His hair went from dark brown to blood red when he combed through it. He put of fake eyelashes and red glassed with a chain on them.

"But you are neither 'Sebastian', yes?" he asked.

Sebastian smirked.

"The young master gave me that name…so, yes, I am 'Sebastian'… for now that is"

Grell just grinned.

"Oh my, his faithful watchdog, are you?" he asked.

"That type of stud makes me weak in the knees"

He tossed some of his hair over his shoulder in a dramatic way.

"Now then, let me re-introduce myself" he said.

"I am the butler of the Burnett house…Grell Sutcliff, at your service!"

He winked at Sebastian and Aki.

"My fellow dear butlers, I'm at your mercy!"

He blew a kiss at them, only for them cringe.

"I'm gonna puke" Aki muttered.

Sayuri simply looked at Grell in amazement. She had never seen anyone like him before. And she had never seen anyone with such red hair except for Madam Red.

"_This world is pretty strange" _she thought.

Grell blushed as he cupped his face in a flirting matter.

"Oooh! I finally get to show you my true colors!" he squealed.

"It was utterly mortifying to be seen in front of such studs with no makeup on. Little old me's never thought run into a devil and an Esper posing as a couple of butler's before…so at first I was just as shocked as shocked can be!"

Aki had a tick mark forming when Grell considered her as a male. It seemed he still couldn't see that she was a female.

"Allow me to echo those sentiments" Sebastian said.

"For I have been living for quite some time…and I have never heard of someone of your kind being a butler. One who is suppose to stand neutral between gods and humans…a grim reaper"

Sayuri looked at Grell in amazement. She had heard about Grim reapers before. They were the supernatural beings that preyed on the dying and harvest their souls. She had never expected to see one in person before. Or one that had such bright colored hair.

"Why did a god such as yourself become a butler?" Sebastian asked.

Grell shrugged.

"I guess you could say I fell in love with a woman" he said.

Sayuri tilted her head.

"And that woman is-"

"Whether you hear him out or not, I think you already know the answer" someone said.

Ciel and Rioko looked up to see Madam Red walking out of the house. She didn't have blood on her like Grell did, but she still looked terrifying.

"Madam Red" Ciel said.

Rioko looked at him sadly. She figured it out that it was the Madam that did the killings with all of the clues that she picked up. She felt horrible that it was a member of Ciel's family that did this and that he had to be the one to track her down. She couldn't even imagine what he was going through now.

Madam Red gave her nephew a weak smile.

"I miscalculated" she said.

"I never thought that you or Lady Rioko had someone that would see through Grell's disguise"

Ciel gave his aunt a cold stare.

"You were, of course on our list of suspects" he said.

"But….your alibi was flawless"

Madam Red gave his a hurt look.

"How could you Ciel? You went so far as to doubt your own aunt?"

"Apparently he did since you just walked out of the murdered victim's house" Rioko said.

Ciel nodded.

"If the possibility of one being Jack exists-family or not-it matters not" he said.

"_No human _on the lists of suspects could have committed all the murders. Of course, that includes you. But it is a different story with a reaper as your accomplice. If he can enter a room in an instant without us noticing…he would also be capable of instantly transporting himself over the lengthy distance between the west end and the east end. And if a servant were to disappear from the party for a matter of minutes…no one would pay any heed…therefore, only the two of you..can be Jack the Ripper"

Rioko crossed her arms.

"The victims in the Jack the Ripper case had something in common, on top of 'being prostitutes' and 'missing their wombs'" she said.

"All of them underwent a 'certain procedure' at the royal London hospital, where the Madam works at"

She held up the paper that she found earlier when she picked up the fallen papers.

"This is the list of those patients…in the order of their surgery dates" she said.

"The order in which the victims were killed corresponds perfectly to the order in which they went under the knife. Only Mary Kelly, who resided here, was on that list and was 'still alive'"

She smirked darkly.

"And to top it all off, I noticed that when we were leaving the Undertaker, you said that any of the doctors staying for the season could have done it…even you" she said.

"You added a lot of emphasis to yourself when you were talking. I don't know if you meant it on purpose or if you just slipped up"

She chuckled when she saw Madam Red paled.

"It's so ridiculous how naïve adults can be, not to mention sad" she said.

"I'm sure you worked really hard with trying to cover up all the murders, only for it to be unraveled by a couple of children. That's pretty sad. The only question I have to ask is why you did it"

Ceil gave his aunt a harsh stare.

"Why did you do it?" he asked.

"What purpose was there to kill all of these prostitutes who have done nothing to you?"

Madam Red shook her head sadly.

"How sad, Ciel" she said.

"My lovely, nephew…my elder sister's son…if you hadn't insisted on getting to the bottom of all this, we might've played chess again"

She balled her hand into a fist as she looked at him harshly.

"However…I will not yield this time!"

Sebastian and Sayuri quickly pulled their masters out of the way when Grell slammed his weapon in the ground.

They were amazed to see the grim reaper holding a chain saw.

"What is that?" Rioko asked.

"All reapers posses tools for hunting souls" Sebastian explained.

"It is known at the 'Death Scythe'. Though it is my first time seeing one that looks like that…the death scythe is rather troublesome"

Grell pouted.

"Something as unbecoming as a death scythe is wouldn't suit me in the least, wont' you agree?" he asked.

"So I customized it to fit my specifications! A death scythe just for me, which plays the grandest harmony with the death throes of a soul! Of course, it's sharpness is guaranteed. A tool that only a god like me can wield to chop anyone and anything into itty bitty pieces!"

He swayed his hips in a foolish matter.

"My body's gotten stiff 'cause I've been a good little girl this whole time" he said.

"So now I want to work up a sweat with y-o-u!"

Aki gagged at the scene.

"Would you stop with the flamboyance?" she asked.

"You're going to make me puke"

Grell squealed in delight.

"Oh! You're such a rebel!" he gushed.

"I simply can't get enough of that side of you Aki-kun! You're just as sexy as Sebas-chan!"

Aki and Sebastian's eyebrow twitched at the nicknames they were given. Rioko bit back a snicker since she thought this was so funny.

Grell just wore that silly grin of his.

"Let me tell you a little something, dearest" he said.

"The color re makes me swoon. I just love red for my hair, clothes and lipstick"

"We can tell by the way that you look" Sayuri pointed out.

Grell glared at her, but didn't say anything.

"That's why I adore making over those ugly women with the red of their blood" he said.

"The more glamorous the woman, the more alluring she becomes, just like a beautiful poisonous flower, right?"

He aimed his chainsaw at Sayuri with an evil smirk on his face.

"I wonder what kind of beauty you will be once I paint you into that beautiful red?" he asked.

"Since you took my darling Sebas-chan away from me, you're going to pay!"

Sayuri blinked in confusion at the accusation. She didn't think that she was taking Sebastian away from anyone. Why, all she ever did was talk and worked with him.

"I'm…sorry?" she said a little uneasily.

Grell pouted and placed a hand on his hip.

"Well, now that I think about it, you do have a very sexy looking brother" he said, winking at Aki.

"So I guess I can forgive you a little"

Aki growled at this. She had, had it up to here with the freak thinking that she was really a boy and she couldn't take it anymore.

"That's it!"

She cracked her knuckles and put her cigarette out.

"I have had it up to here with all the crap that has come out of your mouth, four eyes" she said.

"I'm going to beat seven shades of shit into your ass"

Grell gushed at the sight of Aki being mad.

"Oh! I'm getting goose bumps just at the sight of seeing you mad!" he squealed.

Ciel and Rioko looked at their servants seriously. That was enough fooling around. They needed to take down Jack the Ripper, no matter what.

Ciel removed his eye patch while Rioko put her family ring on.

"In the name of the queen and my own evil title…" Ceil said.

"By the order of the family head and master of the unknown…"Rioko said.

"Hunt them down!" they ordered in unison.

The three servants bowed to their masters.

Now it was time to get serious.

"As you wish"

/

**A/N: So we finally got to see the real Grell! Poor Aki, it must suck always being mistaken for a boy. Luckily, she's tough like one, so Grell won't know what hit him.**

**Please tell me what you think and review.**

**Ja ne!**


	11. At the Funeral

Chapter 11: At the Funeral

**A/N: Let me first start off by saying how truly sorry I am for not updating this story in a while. I finally got a job this summer, so that's been taking up most of my time. And I'm graduating this semester and earning my degree in Digital Media arts. **

**I want to thank you to those who are still reading this story and you guys are awesome!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Black Butler, I just own my oc's.**

**Enjoy!**

/

Sayuri ducked just as Grell swung his chainsaw at her head. The Grim Reaper was going all out on them and wanted to paint the streets red with their blood. It was kind of difficult for Sayuri and Sebastian to fight like this. If Madam Red weren't in the picture, they would have used their demonic powers to end this battle.

Sebastian flipped out of the way when Grell slammed his chainsaw to the ground. He was playing a little with the Grim Reaper and was enjoying the annoyed looks that Grell would give him.

Aki growled in annoyance for not being able to fight. Rioko ordered her to stand down because she knew that Aki would rip Grell's head off in a matter of seconds. They couldn't let that happen with Madam Red around.

Aki was beyond pissed. She desperately wanted her revenge against Grell for mistaking her as a boy. It was insult to be thought of as a boy when it was said by a man who thought he was a woman inside. Nobody humiliated Aki and lived to tell the tale.

But for real, she feared for her sister's life. Sayuri wasn't a fighter. She could barely handle a one on one duel with her. She was more of a protector than she was as a fighter. That was why she was the bodyguard while her sister was the maid. That was how it was. How it should be.

"You shouldn't let her fight" Aki hissed to Rioko.

The young head just gave her body guard a look before looking back at her maid. She didn't like the fact that her maid was fighting a Grim Reaper, but she knew she would be safe with Sebastian at her side. That and she knew Aki would slaughter Grell.

"I know what I'm doing" she said.

"It's not like I'm having her do this for my own amusement"

Aki growled.

"You know there's a reason why she can't fight" she snapped.

"And yet you have her rush off into danger"

Ciel scoffed as he looked away from the fight. He tugged onto Sebastian's coat so the rain wouldn't get to him.

"If she can't even fight to protect her master, then what's the point of her being a maid?" he asked.

"Her duty is to serve Rioko, and that's what she's doing"

His response was a murderous glare from Aki.

"There's a reason why she can't fight" she snapped.

She looked back to see Sayuri blocking Grell's weapon with her metal fan.

"If she gets serious with this fight, then we're all done for" she muttered.

/

"Ah, yes!" Grell cried.

"Run more! We'll play tag, Sebas-chan!"

Sebastian's eye twitched at the nickname he was given, but didn't say anything. He had orders to follow.

Sayuri swiped her fan at Grell and used the bladed edge to block the running chain. She really wished that she could use her Esper powers. Then she would be able to freeze the chain into place and would avoid getting cut.

She flipped out of the way and landed next to Sebastian, who side stepped out of the chainsaw's path.

"This is quite a predicament we're in, isn't it?" she joked.

Sebastian just smirked as he cracked his knuckles.

"Quite" he said.

"If only Madam Red were not in the picture, then this fight would be turned in the other direction"

Sayuri smiled weakly.

This was the downside of being with humans. You could never show your true powers in front of them. They would either try to use it to their advantage or would be scared to death.

"But it makes things more interesting this way" she said.

"It always fun when you're faced with a challenge"

Sebastian smirked.

"I suppose you're right" he said.

"We might as well get rid of this piece of filth before the young master catches a cold"

Sayuri nodded.

"Right"

Just then, something flashed through her head. A memory that was buried deep within her heart.

/

_Sayuri was chained to the stoned wall as she looked out at her cell with a dazed look. The man from before stood on the other side of the cell and looked at her as if she were some sort of prize._

"_You must never fail me" he ordered._

_His hand shot out and gripped her chin so hard that it left a bruise._

"_You must cleanse this world of all its sins" he ordered._

"_Snuff out the unclean! Snuff out the unwanted! Snuff out the unnecessary! End them! End them all!"_

_All Sayuri could do was nod. She had no idea what he meant by cleansing, but she knew to never disobey her orders._

_The man smirked darkly as he ran a finger across her face in a possessive matter._

"_Very good, my little pet" he purred._

"_I know you won't disappoint me"_

/

Sayuri's eyes were glazed over from the memory. She didn't know who the man was, but she knew that he held control over her.

"Snuff out the unclean" she murmured.

Sebastian looked at her to see her in some sort of trance.

"Sayuri?" he called out.

Sayuri simply held her fan out and faced Grell.

"Snuff out the unwanted" she continued.

She charged at Grell and blindly attacked him. She had no control over her movements as she swung her fan. It was as if her body was moving on her own.

She used her fan to block Grell as he pressed her up against the wall with his chainsaw bearing down on her.

"Now, now, if you don't escape fast, you'll get cut" Grell cooed.

Aki panicked when she saw her sister pinned to the wall. She was even more scared at the fact that Sayuri wasn't all there. Her memories were starting to return and that wasn't good.

"Sayuri! Snap out of it!" she shouted.

Sayuri didn't say anything as she blocked Grell's saw.

Her mind was simply elsewhere.

Grell smiled like a maniac when he saw the dazed look on Sayuri's face. Now he would have the perfect chance to kill her off and be one step closer to Sebastian.

"It's so much more stimulating when it hurts a little, isn't it?" he taunted.

While this was happening, Ceil was having his own standoff with his aunt. Madam Red wore an emotionless mask as she faced her nephew and his friend.

"We've now become guard dog and his prey" she said.

Rioko secretly went for the pistol that she kept on her at all times for situations like this. She had mixed feelings about all of this. She knew that she had to kill of Jack the Ripper, but she couldn't because the enemy was related to Ciel and this was considered his problem.

This is why she hated getting caught up in situations like this.

Madam Red pulled out a knife from her sleeve.

"If it's hunt or be hunted…" she said.

"There's only one choice!"

She charged at them with the blade held high.

Ciel was lost in thought about the situation that he was in and failed to see the blade flying towards him. Luckily Rioko saw it and acted quickly.

"Ciel!"

Shoving him out of the way, she got Ciel away from the line of fire and got cut instead. She gripped her arm tightly when blood started to seep from her sleeve and drip to the ground.

The scent of Rioko's blood pulled Sayuri out of her dazed phase and brought her back to reality. If her mistress was in danger, she was the first to know.

Aki's eyes turned yellow at the sight of her master injured. True, Rioko always annoyed her, but she still cared for the young girl. If it wasn't for her, the two Espers wouldn't have a home.

Ciel was stunned. His arch rival pushed him out of the way just as his aunt was about to kill him. He had disgraced himself and the Phantomhive name for his carelessness. He could never live this down.

Madam Red glared at Rioko. How dare this child get in the way of her plans? How dare she ruin her chance of happiness?

"You little!"

She went to strike her again, but stopped when Ciel suddenly stood in front of Rioko protectively and faced him.

Anger was clearly seen in his eyes as he faced his aunt.

"You're a doctor!" he cried.

"Why do this?"

Madam Red hung her head low as she thought of her reason why. Her whole body shook with raw emotions.

Why, he asked? Why would she do this?

"A kid like you would never understand even if I told him!" she hissed.

She looked up with raw anger flashing through her eyes.

Her hand shot out and grabbed Ciel by the throat. Her fingers pressed tightly against his throat and cut off his supply for air.

"Ciel!" Rioko cried.

She pulled her pistol out and aimed at Madam Red. The doctor saw her and aimed her knife at her.

"Stay back!" she cried.

She aimed her blade at Ciel's throat to prove her point.

"Stay back or I'll cut slit his throat!"

Rioko glared at her but lowered her gun. She couldn't afford this crazy doctor to kill Ciel. He still owed her money.

"What is the meaning behind all of this!" she cried.

"He's your nephew! What could possess you that you would want to kill him?"

Madam Red ground her teeth in frustration.

"You would never know" she hissed.

"None of you would!"

She turned back to Ciel and held her knife tightly.

"You….You…" she hissed.

She held her knife up high over her head.

"You should have never been born!"

Everyone panicked and quickly reacted.

Rioko ran towards them tried to push Ciel away just as the blade started coming down while Sebastian, Sayuri and Aki feared for their masters lives.

"Young Master!" Sebastian cried.

"Lady Rioko!" Sayuri and Aki cried.

Sayuri ignored the fact that she had a chainsaw in her face and ran towards her mistress. Blood sprayed everywhere as her arm grazed against the running blade. Her mistress needed to be saved and she wasn't going to let an injured arm stop her.

All three of them charged at Madam Red with murderous intentions. Sayuri and Aki reverted to their Esper forms while Sebastian's eyes turned to a demonic red.

Madam red was about to end her nephew's life when she caught a glimpse of her elder sister in his eyes.

"_Sister!" _she thought.

She stepped back in fear, now knowing that she was about to be killed by the three demonic servants.

Rioko and Ciel knew though, and quickly stopped them before it was too late.

"Stop, Sebastian!" Ciel cried.

"Sayuri! Aki! Don't kill her!" Rioko screamed.

All three of them stopped in their tracks. Sebastian's hand was just inches away from Madam Red's head while Sayuri and Aki's claws were aimed at her throat. They reverted back to their original forms when they saw that their master's were safe.

Madam Red held her face when she realized what she had almost done. She almost killed her nephew. She nearly killed the remaining source of her older sister.

Rioko grabbed Ciel and held him tightly in fear that Madam Red might snap again. Ciel would have pushed her away, but he was just as stunned as she was.

Sayuri cringed when the pain in her arm became noticeable. Aki panicked when she saw her sister's injury.

"Your arm…" she said in a shaky voice.

Sebastian cringed at the sight as well. It was rather gruesome to see a woman with such a serious injury.

Grell pulled his chainsaw from the wall and faced them.

"Oh, Sayuri-chan, you've got a backbone" he cooed.

"To think you'd sacrifice an arm to go save those kids. That's unsightly for a woman"

Sayuri gave him a weak glare.

"A real woman would never let a child get hurt" she said.

"But then again, what would you know? You're just a man"

Grell's stomped his foot in anger at being called a man.

"How dare you!" he cried.

"That was low coming from you!"

His anger subsided a little when he looked at his master.

"But then again, this was pretty low of you, Madam Red" he said.

"Hurry up and kill the brats!"

Madam Red shook her head as she sobbed.

Memories of her sister and her family flashed through her head. She lost all of her loved ones, she wasn't going to finish off the only family she had left.

"I can't" she choked.

She hugged herself tightly.

"I can't do it after all" she said quietly.

"I can't kill him"

Grell had a confused yet annoyed look on his face.

"You're saying that _now? _" he said.

"You've sliced so many women to bits! If you don't erase him, he'll erase you!"

Madam Red wiped her eyes as she looked at her nephew and his friend.

"But…but…" she said weakly.

She turned to face Grell.

"This boy is my-"

Her sentence was cut off when Grell impaled her with his chainsaw. Everyone watched in horror as blood flew everywhere. They couldn't believe that Grell would do something like this. Wasn't he supposed to be her butler?

"I'm disappointed in you, Madam Red!" Grell declared.

"I have no interest in you if you're just another woman!"

He pulled his chainsaw out of her and let her body fall lifelessly to the ground.

Rioko screamed in horror when Madam Red stared at them lifelessly. She tried to cover Ciel's face into her chest, but it was too late. Ciel was frozen in shock at seeing his aunt die in front of him.

Sayuri covered her mouth in horror at what just happened. Aki looked at Grell murderously.

"You bastard!" she cried.

Sebastian watched in wonder as film reels flew out of Madam Red's corpse.

"This is…" Sebastian said.

Grell propped his chainsaw on his shoulder.

"Our job as Grim reapers is to replay and examine the memories of those on the to-die list distributed by the Powers that be" Grell explained.

"We determine what kind of person they were, what kind of life they lived, whether they should be killed or left alive…"

"So in other words, you make their life flash before their eyes" Sebastian clarified.

Grell groaned.

"Ugh! Don't call it something so dull!" he whined.

"This is the grim reaper's true ability: dramatic pain. This is Cinematic Record!"

Sayuri watched as Madam Red's life flashed before everyone's eyes. Even though she did horrible things, this was no way for someone to die.

She let out a little cry when she noticed that film reels were surrounding her. It seemed that when she got injured by Grell, her Cinematic Records were brought forth as well.

Now she had to witness to the life that she remembered.

/

"_What's your name?" Lady Megmi asked._

_The young Esper looked at her for a moment before shyly looking at the ground._

"_I-I don't know, ma'am" she said._

_Lady Megumi tilted her head. _

"_You mean you can't remember?" _

_The Esper nodded._

"_I can't remember anything of my past" she said._

"_It's rather shameful on my part. What kind of maid forgets her own life? It's pathetic"_

_Lady Megumi placed her hand on top of the Espers._

"_Then we'll just have to give you a new one" she said._

"_I'm sure your name wasn't that special if you want remember it. I'll give you a better one"_

_She looked around her room to give her inspiration for a name. What would make a perfect name for a perfect maid?_

_Her eyes landed on a vast full of lilies that were sitting near her window._

_Now she knew what to name her!_

"_I got it!" she cried._

_She grabbed the Esper's hands and smiled brightly._

"_Sayuri!" she declared._

"_From this day forward, you'll be known as Sayuri!"_

_The Esper looked at the hands that were holding hers._

"_Sayuri" she repeated. _

_The name gave off a warm vibe within her being. It was gentle and comforting._

_She looked up at her mistress and smiled._

"_I'm Sayuri" she said._

_Lady Megumi smiled._

"_Well then, Sayuri. Starting from today, you'll be my personal maid"_

_Sayuri smiled as she nodded._

"_Yes, my lady"_

/

A lone tear ran down Sayuri's face as she saw that memory. When she first came to the Junshino family, she had no recollection of her past life, let alone her name. Lady Megumi was kind enough to see past this flaw and gave her a new start by naming her.

It was thanks to her kindness that she was able to create a past that she could remember and become a proper maid.

She looked over a Rioko. After Megumi died, she took it upon herself to raise and protect the child. After all the kindness that her mistress had given her, she tried to return it by serving her daughter.

"_Lady Megumi…." _She thought.

Grell went over to Madam Red's corpse and studied her.

"I loved you when you were dyed crimson by your victims' blood, Madam Red" he said.

"I'm disappointed you turned out to be such a trite woman!"

He knelt down and pulled off her red coat.

"You don't have what it takes to wear red. Your cheap melodrama ends now"

He put on the coat and propped his chainsaw on his shoulder.

"Farewell, Madam"

He started walking off, his desire to battle Sebastian and Sayuri finished. With Madam Red gone, he saw no point in continuing this fight.

But Ciel saw differently. His raw emotions of seeing his aunt die before his eyes quickly faded away. He knew it was horrible that Madam Red died this way, but he remembered that she ruined so many lives for her own selfish reasons.

The first half of Jack the Ripper was dead, now he needed to get rid of the second half.

He gently shoved Rioko away. She had such a tight grip on him from seeing Madam Red dying that he was sure to find bruises on his shoulders.

He carefully shut Madam Red's eyelids so they wouldn't have to see the empty look on her face before he faced Sebastian.

"What are you doing, Sebastian?"

Sebastian looked at his master in confusion.

The young Earl gave him an angry, yet determined look.

"I told you to put an end to Jack the Ripper" he said.

"It's not over yet"

Grell stopped walking when he heard this.

Ciel stood up. The contract in his eye glowed.

"Don't dawdle!" he ordered.

"Hurry up and kill the other one!"

Sebastian looked shocked for a moment, but smiled darkly.

"Very good, my lord" he said.

Rioko gulped at Madam Red's corpse before looking at Aki.

"I changed my mind about you fighting" she said.

"Rip this grim reaper to pieces. Make sure no one can recognize him after words"

Aki laughed demonically as she cracked her knuckles.

"With pleasure" she said.

She looked at Sayuri, who was tending to her injured shoulder. Espers were known to heal rather fast from their injuries, but since this was done by a Grim Reaper, it would take a while.

"You sit this one out" she ordered.

"I'm taking over. Just keep an eye on Rioko and the Phantomhive brat"

Sayuri knew better than to argue with her older sister when it came to her injuries.

She slowly nodded and went to the young nobles.

Grell sighed when he realized he wasn't going to get out of this.

"I was going to be nice and let you go" he said.

He fired up his chainsaw.

"But if you insist, I'll send you both to heaven!"

Sebastian jumped up as the blade swung towards him while Aki ducked. The fire esper was really happy that she could finally get her revenge for Grell mistaking her for a boy all this time.

Plus, it stopped raining. Since there was no rain, that meant she could use her powers.

"Heaven?" she taunted.

She went to aim a kick at the Grim Reaper's face, but he ducked at the last second. He jumped back and started throwing a fit.

"You just went after a lady's face!" he cried.

"You fiend!"

Aki cracked her neck to get out all of the kinks before she shot Grell an icy glare.

"I'd rather go to hell than deal with angels" she said.

"Espers and heaven are total strangers"

Sebastian smirked darkly, clearly agreeing with the fire esper for once.

"Of course" he said.

"For I am one hell of a butler"

Grell huffed. How dare these two try to hit a lady!

"Do you think a demon and an Esper defeat a divine being?" he taunted.

Aki snorted.

"I don't _think_ so, I _know _so" she said.

"Since you've been pissing me off these past few weeks,. Since Rioko gave me special permission to rip you limb from limb, I'm going to take my time and give you a slow painful death. "

She brought her claws out to prove her point.

"Think you can beat an Esper like me?" she asked.

"I'm a lot worse than this demon butler next to me can be"

Sebastian gave her a slightly annoyed look.

"If the master wishes me to win, then I shall" he declared.

Grell pouted.

"You're quite keen on those brats. I'm jealous" he said.

"Even demons and Espers cease to exist if I reap them with my death scythe. Aren't you afraid?"

Sebastian's eyes glowed red. The moon's light making his face terrifying.

"Not in the least" he said.

"I belong to my master body and soul, even down to the last hair on my head. As long as the contract is in effect, I follow his orders. That's the butler aesthetic, you see"

Aki scoffed as she placed a cigarette in her mouth.

"I don't take crap from anyone, not even a kid like Rioko" she said.

"But she's a hell of a lot better than that Phantomhive brat, so I'd rather listen to her than to a whinny little kid who can't even take care of himself"

A tick mark appeared on Ciel's head for being humiliated like that.

"_Arrogant Esper" _he thought.

Smoke came from Aki's lips as she finished a drag on her cigarette.

"And since you harmed my sister, I simply can't let you leave" she said.

"Nobody lays a finger on Sayuri and lives to tell the tale. Not while I'm around"

Grell gave off a wide, toothy grin.

"Oh, this is going to be so much fun" he said.

"I just can't wait to dye the streets with your blood. I'll paint the streets red with you!"

Aki's eyes glowed yellow as her hands turned into claws.

"We'll see about that"

/

Rioko gulped when she saw the three of them start to fight. She didn't like where this was going. If this grim reaper could kill espers, then Aki really had to be careful.

She looked at Sayuri to see her tending to her wound. The sleeve of her outfit was completely died in her blood and looked beyond cleaning.

"Sayuri…" she whimpered.

She hated being weak, but she couldn't stand the sight of seeing her servant in pain. She had a heart, unlike Ciel.

Sayuri gave her a weak smile as she applied pressure to her wound.

"It's nothing to worry about, my lady" she said.

"It's just a flesh wound"

Ciel took Sebastian's coat off and covered Madam Red with it. He couldn't stand the sight of her emotionless face.

"That was reckless of you" he stated.

He gave Sayuri a harsh stare as if he were reprimanding a child.

"You could have had your arm cut off. What made you think you could take on a Grim reaper like that?"

Rioko was about to chew Ciel out for lecturing Sayuri. Sayuri was her maid, so she would handle her.

Sayuri gave the young Earl a weak smile.

"Sometimes when you have something precious that you want to protect, you'll do anything to keep it safe" she said.

"Even if it's reckless and rather stupid to do"

Ciel looked lost in thought for a moment.

"Precious" he murmured.

He once had that, but it was taken from him when he lost everything that he loved. Now all he had was vengeance. He didn't have anything that he would consider precious.

He looked away from the two women and faced the three that were fighting. Sebastian and Aki had better not lose.

/

Grell laughed like a maniac as he tried to cut Sebastian and Aki down. It was like a dream come true. He was fighting to handsome men (although he still didn't realize that Aki was a girl). It was like he was on cloud nine. He couldn't wait to play their cinematic records and view their past lives. What kind of lives they lived, how they came to be. Oh, the thought alone gave him goose bumps.

"A demon, Esper and a grim reaper" he sighed.

Aki aimed a kick to his face, only to have Grell jump out of the way.

The Grim Reaper was lost in his own world, clouded by pure lust.

"I suppose a meeting of the minds is impossible?" he asked.

Aki and Sebastian jumped after him. This was starting to get annoying.

Grell placed a hand over his heart.

"Our feelings for each other are forbidden…" he said.

"It's like a tragic love triangle!"

Sebastian had goose bumps all over his body while Aki tried not to gag. This guy was so creepy.

Grell sighed in pure bliss at the thought.

"Oh, how deliciously forbidden this romance will be" he cooed.

"A girl like me picking over two handsome men like yourselves"

Aki growled demonically.

"Why can't he see that I'm a girl?" she growled.

"Perhaps it's because you act like one and lean more towards the masculine side" Sebastian offered.

Aki turned her glare to the demon butler.

"When I get rid of four eyes, you're next" she hissed.

Sebastian smiled demonically.

"Oh, I shiver with fear"

They all landed on a couple of roofs. The moon shined brightly on their forms.

Grell propped his chainsaw on his shoulder.

"If only you weren't chained to those little brats, then we could have some real fun" he said.

Sebastian just smirked as he placed a hand over his heart.

"From the moment that my master called be 'Sebastian', that word became my new baptism and contract" he said.

"I've been Sebastian since that day"

Aki ground her cigarette out with her foot as she placed her hands on her hips.

"I've told you before that I don't belong to anyone" she said.

"I've severed my ties to being someone's pet. You chain a dog up long enough, then they'll start to fight back"

Grell pouted a little.

"What insincere men you are, making such proclamations" he said.

"Your eyes are impure eyes which love no one. You are a devil who profanes innocent souls with your unworthy hands and lips. And you, Aki are a false heavenly being made by someone trying to play god"

Aki's eyes harden at the mention of hers and Sayuri's creation. She didn't want to remember that portion of her life and she hoped that Sayuri wouldn't either.

Grell squealed like a fan girl as he hugged himself.

"Oh, it's so good!" he cried.

"You two thrill me! I feel like I could bear your children!"

Both demon and Esper shivered at that. Now this was getting way too creepy.

"God damn it! Keep those thoughts to yourself!" Aki snapped.

"I agree. That's repellant" Sebastian added.

Grell just smiled at them.

"Oh, you're so cold" he said.

He fired up his chainsaw again and ran at them.

"Beautiful tyrants!"

Aki flipped out of the way.

"Angelic fiends!"

Sebastian side stepped around the grim reaper.

"Dove-feathered ravens!"

Aki aimed a swipe to the grim reapers face while Sebastian planted his foot on the chainsaw, preventing Grell from swinging it.

The Grim Reaper gushed at how close Aki and Sebastian were.

"Oh…would that morning should never come!" he sighed.

"Then the three of us could live in love like this forever"

"Will you cut that out?" Aki snapped.

"You're making me sick!"

Grell got up in their faces.

"I'm afraid our amorous adventure ends now" he said.

He fired up his chainsaw and swung it upward-slicing Sebastian across the chest.

"Now, show me a drastic and dramatic record!"

Cinematic records came flying out of Sebastian and showed Grell glimpses of his life. The Grim Reaper was hoping to find something good, but instead saw Tanaka and the rest of the Phantomhive staff.

"W-wait….wait, wait, wait, wait!" Grell cried.

"Who are these people? "

Sebastian smirked, despite the blood flowing from his lips.

"That's been my everyday life for the past three years" he said.

Grell started throwing a fit.

"I'm not interested in a domestic record like this!" he cried.

"Come on, show me the good parts!"

He spotted Aki and realized that he didn't cut her yet.

"Wait! You probably have an interesting record! You're an Esper after all!"

He went to cut Aki, but the fire esper just blew him away with a burst of flames.

"Sorry, but you're not looking through my records, four eyes" she said.

"Those are for paying customers"

Grell pouted.

"Skinflint!" he cried.

Sebastian aimed a kick at him, only for Grell to dodge once again. The butler sighed when he saw the condition of his outfit.

"Oh, no, my clothes are ruined again" he sighed.

He unbuttoned his coat and took it off.

"This is beyond mending"

Grell had a seductive smirk on his face as he heard that.

"You're pretty confident, worrying about your clothes at a time like this" he said.

"Not to mention leaning towards the feminine side" Aki muttered.

Sebastian held his coat out. His usually calm, emotionless expression now held a serious and determined look.

"This is the one technique I didn't want to use…" he said.

"But there's no help for it"

Grell held his chainsaw up as he heard that.

"So you're finally going to take me seriously, then?" he stated.

"I didn't know he could take you seriously, four eyes" Aki said.

The demon and grim reaper faced each other off. This would be the final show down to this epic fight.

"Shall we close the curtain on this with the next blow?" Grell asked.

"Say your farewells to this world. Let's be joined in the hereafter, Sebas-chan"

Both jumped at each other, preparing to end the other's life. Grell swung his chainsaw, thinking that he would win, but the most unexpected thing happened.

Just as Grell was swinging his weapon, Sebastian jammed his ruined coat into the base of the chainsaw, causing the blade to stop moving.

Aki raised an eyebrow at the scene.

"You got to be fucking kidding me" she said.

Sebastian placed a hand on his hip as he watched Grell try to rip the coat out.

"That tailcoat is made of high-quality Yorkshire wool" he said.

"Wool has the highest frictional forces of all cloths. Once it gets enmeshed in something, it's very difficult to remove"

"What the fuck!" Grell cried.

Sebastian sighed in annoyance.

"That coat was supplied to me by the estate, and I didn't want to use it…" he said.

"But you ruined it already, after all"

As Grell was trying to pull the coat out, he failed to realize that Sebastian was behind him until the last minute.

Fear was evident on the reaper's face as he looked up at the demon's fake smile. Sebastian cracked his knuckles, delighted that he would be getting his revenge.

"Now, in a normal fistfight, I feel a certain amount of confidence" he said.

Aki grew annoyed with being left out and quickly got in the way.

"Hold it, pretty boy" she said.

"You've been doing all of the fighting up until now, so it's only fair that I get to beat the crap out of him. You can kill him in the end if that makes you feel better"

Sebastian saw her eyes glow yellow, showing that she would kill him if he didn't agree.

He bowed dramatically and stepped out of the way.

"Ladies first" he said.

Aki laughed demonically as she faced Grell.

"Alright, four eyes" she said.

"Let's tango"

Grell gulped when he saw fire covering Aki's fists, ensuring that she would cause double pain.

"W-wait! Please! Not the face!" he cried.

His pleas went to depth ears as Aki beat Grell within an inch of his life.

Sayuri, Rioko and Ciel watched from below as the fire esper was slowly killing the grim reaper.

"Your bodyguard has a demonic side to her, doesn't she?" Ceil commented.

"Of course" Rioko said dryly.

"Aki will kill anyone who pisses her off. Even if it's minor and stupid"

Sayuri sweat dropped as she watched her sister.

"Aki…" she said.

Aki landed a final punch to Grell and watched as he went flying to the ground-right where the others were.

Sebastian reacted quickly and appeared before them so he could kick Grell out of the way.

"Please excuse me. I misjudged the distance" he said.

Aki landed next to the butler and cracked her knuckles.

"Well that went over fast" she said.

"He hardly put up a fight"

Bruises and burnt marks littered all over the grim reapers body. Grell twitched every now and then, but did nothing.

"I think you went a little overboard, Aki" Sayuri said.

Aki snorted.

"What are you talking about?" she said.

"I went easy on him"

She picked up Grell's discarded chainsaw and handed it to Sebastian.

"I had my fun, so get rid of him" she said.

"I'm tired of seeing four eyes"

The butler nodded and grabbed the weapon.

"I suppose you can't kill a grim reaper with bare fists" he said.

He ripped his coat out of the device and started it up.

"But what about this?"

Grell gulped. He was in big trouble now.

"W-what are you thinking?" he asked.

"N-n-no-"

He was cut off by Sebastian's foot in his face.

"I don't enjoy being kicked around" he said.

"But doing the kicking feels rather nice"

He looked at Ciel and Rioko.

"Master, Lady Rioko, hideous though he may be, he is still a divine being" he said.

"Are you prepared to shoulder a heavy crime by killing a divine being?"

Ciel gave him a harsh stare.

"Are you trying to make me repeat my order?" he asked.

"Yeah, we're going to hell anyway for associating with beings like you" Rioko added.

Sebastian smirked.

"Very well then"

He turned to Grell and gave him his creepy smirk.

"You scream very nicely" he said.

"As a reward…I'll kill you with your favorite toy"

Sayuri quickly covered Ciel and Rioko's eyes so they wouldn't have to see someone else get killed tonight.

Grell pleaded for his life, not wanting to be killed by his weapon.

"Please, don't!" he cried.

"Begging won't get you anywhere" Aki said.

Grell gulped and looked at Ciel.

"Don't you want to know who killed his parents?" he asked.

That got Ciel's attention. For three years, he had been wondering who murdered his family and ruined his life. Maybe now he would finally know the answer.

However, Sebastian thought otherwise and brought the blade. He would have cut Grell in half had he not been stopped by another weapon.

A long hedge clipper blocked the chainsaw, preventing Sebastian to kill Grell. The demon butler looked up at the roofs to see a man was responsible, by wielding the hedge clippers. It was obvious that he was a grim reaper as well, by the way he appeared and his choice of weapon.

"I apologize for interrupting your conversation" he said.

He summoned his blade back and had it shrunk. The grim reaper adjusted his glasses.

"I am William T. Spear, an administer at the Grim Reaper Staffing Association" he said.

"I came to take charge of that reaper, there"

Aki rolled her eyes.

"Great, another freak to worry about" she spat.

Grell looked super happy to see Will. He was saved!

"Will! William!" he cried.

"So you came to save me!"

He was sadly mistaken when Will jumped off the roof and landed on top of him.

Will opened his book and started reading off some documents.

"Temp worker, Grell Sutcliff, you have violated regulations" he said.

"Firstly, you killed people not on the to-die list. Secondly, you used a death scythe for which a permission form was not filed. And finally, you attempted to leak information about the cause of death and identity of a murderer"

He snapped his book shut and jumped off the half dead reaper.

He bowed to Sebastian.

"I am sorry for all the trouble this wretch has caused" he said.

He pulled out a card and handed it to Aki.

"Here is my card"

The fire esper simply looked at it before bursting it into flames.

Will sighed in annoyance.

"Really, I never thought I'd see the day when I'd have to bow my head to noxious beasts like you" he said.

"This is the disgrace to the profession of grim reapers"

Sebastian gave him a cold stare.

"Then please keep a close watch over your staff so they don't cause trouble for us noxious beasts " he said.

"Humans are very susceptible to temptation. When they are placed in the hellish bowels of despair, if a spider's thread appears before them that could get them out, they will cling to it without fail. Any human will"

Will scoffed at that.

"Aren't you demons the ones who take advantage of that to deceive humans and prey upon them?" he asked.

Sebastian gave him a fake smirk.

"I won't deny it" he said.

Will looked at Ceil and Rioko before looking back at him.

"Though you seem to be a tame dog with a collar; that at least makes you a lesser evil than the unprincipled, rapid dogs" he said.

He grabbed Grell by the hair and started walking off.

"Come, Grell Sutcliff, we're leaving" he said.

"Honestly, we're already shorthanded, and now we won't be able to finish during regular hours today either"

As he was walking, Sebastian got a little ticked off by Will's comment towards him and threw Grell's scythe at him. Will simply caught it between his fingers and looked at the demon.

"You forgot that" he said with a fake smile.

Will just let the weapon drop into Grell's chest.

"Thank you" he said dully.

He carried on with Grell whimpering.

"Aki" he cried.

"Call me!"

Aki gave him the finger.

"Fuck off, four eyes!" she spat.

The two grim reapers disappeared in the dark, leaving the others behind.

Sebastian sighed when the fight was over and went over to his young master.

"I apologize" he said.

"I let half of Jack the Ripper escape"

Ciel just looked at the ground with an empty look on his face.

"It doesn't matter" he said.

Rioko shivered a little, finally realizing how could she really was.

"Let's get out of here" she said.

"I'm freezing"

Sayuri nodded and helped her mistress up, despite her injured arm.

"I'll prepare you a warm drink and start a fire in the town house" she said.

Rioko smiled tiredly.

"Sounds good"

Ciel slowly got up himself, but due to the sheer shock of what happened and his fatigue, he started to stumble.

Sebastian quickly went to help him.

"Young master!"

Ciel quickly swatted his hand away and gave him a harsh stare.

"I'm fine. I can stand by myself" he said.

He looked at Madam Red's body.

"I'm just…I'm a little tired is all"

Nobody said anything to that. After everything that happened, they were surprised that Ciel didn't crack. He saw his aunt being murdered by a grim reaper.

Rioko placed a hand on Ciel's shoulder. She knew better than to coddle him and take pity. She was a lot like him where she didn't want to be treated like a child. By simply giving his arm a squeeze, she showed that she understood his pain and wouldn't say anything about it.

"Yeah…I think we're all tired" she said.

"Let's go home"

With that, they slowly went back to the townhouse. The night's events forever etched into their minds.

/

Church bells ran as the funeral of Madam Red commenced. Family and friends gathered as they said their final farewells to their beloved.

No one knew how she met her end. Ceil thought it would be better to not let anyone know that she was the one behind the Jack the Ripper case. His aunt was damaged enough, he didn't want to damage her reputation as well.

When he thought about it, Ciel realized that his aunt died of a broken heart. She was so torn by the loss of her loved ones and all the madness in the world, that she suddenly snapped. Maybe she wasn't murdered that night…maybe she was hoping to meet her end like those other girls.

Either way, she was finally resting in peace. She would be with her loved ones again and wouldn't have to worry about the horrors of life.

Elizabeth cried as she saw her aunt sleeping in a casket. She looked so out of place wearing white and being surrounded with white flowers. Almost like a black spot on an empty canvas.

"Aunt An" she sobbed.

Everyone was sad for the loss of Madam Red. She was the light of the party and could always make you smile.

They thought that Ciel would attend the funeral, seeing he was her nephew, but the young earl was nowhere in sight.

Just then, the church doors opened and Ciel came strolling in, carrying a scarlet red dress. Many people thought it was improper to bring such a color to a funeral, but then they remembered that red was the Madam's favorite color.

Rioko stayed outside the church with Sebastian and her servants. This moment was for Ciel and she had no part in this. She would allow him to say his final goodbyes to his family while she waited with his butler.

Sayuri sadly watched as Ciel said his goodbyes to his aunt. Even though he didn't look sad, she knew that he was crushed inside. He was human after all. Seeing someone that you loved would hurt anyone. She was devastated when Lady Megumi died and she was an Esper.

"Poor Ciel" she said.

Sebastian looked at her for a moment before he looked at his master.

"The Young Master is very strong for a child his age" he said.

"He'll pull through"

Sayuri nodded.

"Of course, but he's still human" she said.

"Even though he's not showing it, I'm sure he must be suffering. Seeing someone that you love die is such a painful experience. You'll never get to see them again. Never hear their voices. Never see them smile"

She bowed her head sadly.

"They're free from the calamities that plague this world while you're still stuck here"

Sebastian raised an eyebrow at her statement.

Sayuri laughed weakly.

"It makes you jealous of them in a way…them being mortal and all" she said.

"While their life is limited on this earth, mine is not. Beings like me have to live for centuries and watch our the ones we love die. While they age we cannot. It makes me realize that even though I act and look human, I'm still an imitation"

She placed her hand where her injuries from Grell were. They were pretty much healed, but there was still a scar.

"How are your injuries?" Sebastian asked.

He didn't know why he suddenly asked that, but the words just tumbled out of his mouth. Like he had no control over what his mind was thinking or saying.

Sayuri laughed weakly.

"Oh, they're fine" she said.

"I don't heal nearly as fast as you, but I'll live"

She blushed in embarrassment.

"I'm just embarrassed that I got injured so easily. What kind of maid am I to get hurt during a battle? It's such a dishonor"

Sebastian looked at Rioko for a moment before looking at Ciel.

"It would have been dishonorable if you hadn't done anything" he said.

"Even though you knew you weren't a good fighter, you still went ahead and fought for that sake of protecting your master. A proper maid would be willing to risk her life for her master, even going so far as to die for her. It's not dishonorable for trying to protect your master, it's just the opposite"

Sayuri was surprised by his words. Sebastian, who always emphasized on how a good servant should act was complimenting her on her failed attempt to protect Rioko.

She smiled softly.

Maybe he wasn't as strict as everyone made him out to be.

"Thank you" he said softly.

Ciel bid his final farewell to his beloved aunt.

"Farewell, Madam Red" he whispered.

/

After the funeral was over, Lau met up with the others to discuss the Jack the Ripper case. He found out it was Madam Red who was behind all of this, but he didn't know about Grell being a Grim Reaper.

"You're not going to report to the Queen who Jack the Ripper was?" the Chinese merchant asked.

Ciel shook his head as he looked out the window.

"There's no need" he said.

"Her wish was that we end the incidents. That objective has been fulfilled"

Lau crossed his arms as he leaned against the wall.

"And you'll keep right on sinking into the quagmire, won't you?" he taunted.

"Even if you set foot somewhere you can't return from, I know you would never let anyone see you pathetically screaming and crying for help. Not you, the proud dog of the Queen"

He pushed off from the wall and faced the young earl.

"I'll be careful not to make myself a target for you, my lord" he said.

Ciel gave Lau a dull glare, showing that he wasn't threatened by him.

"Opium dens are starting to become a problem" he said.

"If you're going to get out, now's the time"

"And don't even think about bringing your dens back to Kyoto" Rioko said.

"It took me months to convince the governors to not take your head"

Lau just gave them a Cheshire like smirk.

"If I did that, then I'd have to think of another business to run" he said.

Ciel placed his coat on.

"You could always return to your home country" he said.

Lau shrugged.

"I haven't lost my interest of this country yet" he said.

"Of in you and Lady Rioko"

He strolled away from them with a slight skip in his step.

"I fully expect you'll put on many more interesting shows for me" he called out.

Rioko felt a chill run up her spine as the Chinese merchant left.

" I just don't like the feeling he gives off" she said.

"It's almost as if we'll end up chasing heads with each other"

Ciel put his top hat on and accepted his cane from Sebastian.

"You're just overthinking things" he said.

"Come. We have other business to attend to"

Rioko nodded and put her coat on as well.

There was one last end to tie up before the put a close to this Jack the Ripper case.

/

The two young nobles stood in front of a fresh grave. With Madam Red's funeral out of the way, they could finally pay their respects to one other person.

Mary Jane Kelly.

The last victim of Jack the Ripper.

"Why the hell are we here anyway?" Aki asked.

She was still pissed off about losing her fight with Grell and was ready to bite someone's head off.

"This is my final customer from the Jack the Ripper murder" Undertaker said.

"It's such a shame her life ended this way" Sayuri said.

"No one deserves to die like this. Not even a prostitute"

"Apparently she's an immigrant" Rioko said.

"They couldn't find anyone to claim the body"

Undertaker pinched Ciel's cheek.

"So our kindhearted earl here hired me to pretty her up and even erect this gravestone for her"

Ciel pushed his hand away.

"I'm not kindhearted" he said.

"If I had given her life first priority that night, there would have been plenty of ways to save her. But instead, I prioritized catching Jack the Ripper. I knew she wouldn't be saved. I knew and I let her die…my own flesh and blood…"

It seemed he was thinking more towards Madam Red than Mary Jane Kelly.

Undertaker leaned closer to him.

"Are you having regrets?" he asked.

Ciel scoffed.

"No. Jack the Ripper is gone, and her Majesty's anxieties are resolved"

Undertaker rubbed his chin.

"Victoria, eh? I don't like her" he stated.

"She forces all the misery onto you while she just sits back and watches"

"That's nobility for you" Aki said.

"While we have to work ourselves to the bone, they sit in their comfy castles fatting themselves up. Stuck up bitches"

Sayuri gave her sister a dull glare.

Ciel touched his family ring in thought.

"This is my family's lot in life" he stated.

"It's been passed down for generations along with this ring"

"That ring is like a dog collar" Undertaker said.

"It connects you to the Queen by the chains of 'fate'"

Ciel glared at him.

"I'm the one who chose this!" he declared.

Undertaker got into his face.

"I pray that you're never hung by that collar" he said.

"That would be so boring"

He handed Rioko a bouquet of flowers to place on the grave and left.

"Come by the shop whenever you need something" he said.

"You and your friends are always welcomed"

Rioko shuddered.

"He gives me the creeps" she said.

She placed the flowers on the grave and said a little prayer.

"I know we could have saved her, but at least she's resting in peace" she said.

She stood up and faced Ciel.

"You are kindhearted, though" she said.

Ciel gave her a glare.

"Don't make me repeat myself" he said.

"I said that I'm-"

"Either that, or your weak" Rioko finished.

She had a dark smirk as she crossed her arms across her chest. Ciel glared daggers at her. This was one of the reasons why he couldn't stand Rioko.

"Why, you!" he snapped.

Rioko tilted her head.

"Why didn't you shoot?" she asked.

Ciel was taken aback. She was recalling the night when they confronted Madam Red. He had a gun on him just like Rioko did, but he never used it, let alone pull it out.

Rioko chuckled when she realized he had been caught. She never let her dark side show up, but after this incident with Madam Red, she let it surface.

She was really touchy when it came to family. She didn't get along with the rest of the Junshinto clan and the fact that Ciel couldn't even kill his aunt made her feel disgusted. If it were her, she wouldn't hesitate to shoot.

"'I let my own flesh and blood die'? I really hate liars" she said.

She got up close to him and tilted his chin up with her finger.

"If you had wanted to shoot her then, you could have" she said.

"But instead you nearly made me do it. You wavered, and even when you had the chance, you refused to draw your gun. Why? Were you afraid to kill your own aunt? Do you mean to tell me that you'll kill a stranger, but not your own family?"

Ciel glared darkly at her. He was starting to see Rioko's serious side. The side that she kept hidden with a smile.

"I thought Sebastian and your servants would protect me" he said flatly.

Rioko just laughed.

"Oh, so you expect everyone to protect you?" she cooed.

"You think that every time you're in trouble, your butler will come to save the day?"

Ciel glared at her.

"Sebastian is sworn to protect me at the cost of his life" he said.

"That's why I didn't shoot. Our contract demands that he serves me; that he protects me and does not kill me until I've reached my goal"

Rioko crossed her arms.

"Then why did make Sebastian stop?" she asked.

Ciel's eyes harden.

"Why did you make Sayuri and Aki stop?" he challenged.

Rioko tossed her hair over her shoulder.

"It's not their job to clean up their messes" she said.

Ciel looked back at the gravestone.

"There was hesitation in her eyes" he said.

"I thought she wouldn't be able to kill me…her own kin. One wrong move costs a person's life. It's just like chess. She hesitated and lost sight of her next move. That's all there is to it"

Rioko tipped her chin with her finger.

"You're a rather strange boy" she said.

She smirked darkly.

"But that's what I like about you"

Ciel scoffed and walked away.

"I feel the exact opposite" he said.

Rioko laughed and followed after him.

"You got a lot of nerves to say something like that to me. Especially when I figured out who Jack the Ripper was"

Ciel just gave her a dull glare.

"That's your duty as the Queen's messenger bird" he said.

Rioko snorted and looked at her servants who were waiting for her.

"I never followed her orders" she said.

"After a while, a caged bird will start to rebel and will want to break its cage free. I'm a free spirited person, unlike you, you loyal dog"

A tick mark appeared on Ciel's forehead.

"I knew I shouldn't have brought you with on this assignment" he growled.

Rioko just laughed as they went up the hill where their servants were dutifully waiting.

/

Sayuri watched as Rioko messed around with Ciel. She was glad that she was able to see her mistress smile and have fun. She was never like that a lot until they came to London. She was grateful that Rioko was able to make a friend in Ciel.

"I thank the gods for brining Master Phantomhive into Lady Rioko's life" she said.

Sebastian looked at her.

"That's a rather odd thing to say about my master" he said.

Sayuri smiled weakly.

"Yes, well, Lady Rioko is a strange person" she said.

"She grew up not knowing what a friend was supposed to be. It was only after she started associating with Lord Phantomhive that she was able to understand that term"

She looked at the ground sadly.

"When humans are pitted with nothing, they'll fall into the deepest depths of hell" she mumbled.

She looked at her mistress and smiled when she saw Rioko laugh.

No matter what dangers threatened to harm Rioko, she swore to always protect her. That was her duty as a maid.

But it was also her duty as a friend.

/

**A/N: I know this was a sucky way to end this chapter, but it's nearly 1 in the morning where I'm at and I'm half asleep.**

**I know there wasn't a lot of Sayuri/Sebastian moments, but I was trying to show Ciel and Rioko's bond. Even though their polar opposites, they're very similar.**

**And I just enjoyed the fight between Aki and Grell. Too bad she wasn't able to kill him.**

**Please review and tell me what you think! **

**Ja ne!**


	12. Back to the swing of things

Chapter 12: Back to the swing of things

**A/N: I know, shame on me. It's been nearly half a year since I update but I had to go back to my notes and rewrite the rest of this story. So for those of you who still read this story, I apologize greatly and thank you from the bottom of my heart.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Black Butler; I just own my oc's.**

**Enjoy!**

/

It had nearly been a week since the whole Jack the Ripper case came to a close. A whole week since they returned home.

A whole week of knowing Madam Red was dead.

Rioko didn't know if Ciel was still upset about watching his aunt die, but if he was he wasn't showing it. The young Earl was always known to mask his emotions. No one could tell when he was really happy or sad. They couldn't tell if he felt anything at all.

The young heiress decided to stay away from the Phantomhive household for a little while and let Ciel get his life back together in some way.

It was the least she could do for him, since she allowed Madan Red to die as well.

/

"I wonder how that brat is holding up" Aki said as she took a swig of Sake.

Sayuri shrugged for a moment as she worked on Rioko's tea.

"I can't say" she said.

"Lord Phantomhive is a rather complex child. He reminds me of Lady Rioko a bit"

Aki snorted. Clearly she thought differently.

"Ha! As if" she said.

"I'll admit that Rioko can be a brat sometimes, but she's got more common sense then that Phantomhive brat. I mean, who allows their aunt to get killed by a Grim Reaper? A freaky, stalker Grim Reaper at that?"

Just thinking about Grell sent shivers up the Fire Esper's spine. Why did the weird guys always come to her?

Sayuri just sighed and closed her eyes.

"That's not it" she said.

"Lady Rioko is much like Lord Phantomhive in regards that she's far more mature for her own age. She's just a young girl and yet she carries the fate of the world on her shoulders. She experiences things that no child should ever see and yet she finds it normal. It pains me to see her have to grow up so fast"

Aki had a bored yet serious look on her face. She understood what her sister was saying but she knew not to speak about it.

"She's brave, I'll give you that. But that's the fate she was born into"

She gave Sayuri the serious look.

"You and should know that very well"

Sayuri didn't say anything. She didn't want to talk about the past she couldn't remember.

"I'll be serving Lady Rioko her tea" she said.

"I made your breakfast already so if you're hungry feel free to eat it"

She picked up the serving tray and left the kitchen.

Aki just grumbled and downed the rest of her Sake.

"Everyone is crabby today"

/

Sayuri gently knocked on the door to Rioko's study.

"Lady Rioko, I have your morning tea" she called.

"Enter"

Sayuri carefully entered the room with tea tray in hand and headed over to Rioko's desk. The young girl was swamped with order forms that build up while she was away. She had to go over each shipment and make sure she had that brand of tea before she signed off that it was ok. It was a stressful job but Rioko seemed to like it.

"Today I prepared a special blend of rosemary tea and cherry scones" Sayuri said.

Rioko accepted the tea and drank it with gusto.

"Your tea is always the best Sayuri" she said.

"I don't know how you do it, but you always make the flavor richer"

Sayuri smiled and bowed to her.

"I'm honored by the compliment, my lady" she said.

Rioko smirked a little bit it didn't last long. It seemed her mind was elsewhere.

"Is something the matter, my lady?" she asked.

Rioko shook her head slowly.

"No…I mean…I don't think it is" she said.

Sayuri knelt next to Rioko's seat and took her hand.

"Lady Rioko, if there is something on your mind, please feel free to tell me" she said.

"It's better to tell someone then to keep them bottled up"

Rioko ran a hand through her hair then looked at her maid and dear friend. She knew she could always count on Sayuri to make things better.

"What's it like to see a family member die?" she asked.

Sayuri looked surprised at the question. What on earth could bring this up?

"Why ever would you ask, my lady?"

Rioko shrugged and looked at her family ring.

"I guess I'm just curious since I had to see Ciel's aunt die" she said.

"I don't know what it's like to see a family member die so I wondered what you're suppose to think and feel when that happens"

She looked out the window, not wanting Sayuri to see her emotions.

"My father died before I was born and my mother died when I was just a baby" she explained.

"Everyone in the Junshinto household isn't really close to me and they try not to. The only person who I get along with is my grandfather, but I don't really see him as much. I just wonder what would happen if someone in my family died and I was there. Would I be sad? Would I be devastated? What should I feel?"

Sayuri looked at her mistress sadly. It was obvious that Rioko didn't get along with her family. Everyone in the Junshinto clan didn't like the fact that their heir and ruler was a young girl and thought they should have control over the family business instead of her. All they cared about was money, not her. The only person who cared about her was her grandfather, but that was it.

"You shouldn't be thinking on such horrid things, my lady" she said.

"Why don't you think of more positive things?"

Rioko rest her head in her hand.

"I suppose, but what can cheer me up?" she questioned.

Sauyri thought for a moment.

"Well, we have a very busy schedule today since we've been on holiday" she said.

Rioko snorted.

"How will that cheer me up?" she joked.

Sayuri stood up and had a sly smile on her face.

"Because it's we're practicing one of your favorite hobbies: ballet"

/

"Keep your legs straighter, my lady. You want to look like a graceful swan, not a scraggly goose"

Rioko huffed and did a pirouette.

Being a female of noble birth, that meant they were entitled to be experts at feminine activities. Such things included sewing, tea parties, luncheons with friends, music, etc.

Rioko was forced to do such horrid acts, but she didn't mind doing ballet. She always got a thrill as she twirled and jumped through the air gracefully. It was like she was free to be herself without anyone judging her.

Sayuri smiled as she watched her mistress practice. Her mother, Lady Megumi always loved ballet and thought it was like watching a piece of art coming to life. She always wanted to take ballet, but with her horrible health, she was unable to accomplish that dream. Instead, she passed it on to Sayuri who then passed it on to Rioko. It was like her daughter was living out her dream.

"_You would be so proud to see how much Lady Rioko has accomplished, Lady Megumi" _Sayuri thought.

Rioko spun around the room flawlessly and performed the final pose of the dance.

Sayuri clapped at her mistress.

"Well done, My Lady" she said.

"With a little more practice, I would say you would become a professional ballerina"

Rioko smiled and wiped her forehead.

"That would be an interesting notion" she said.

"If the tea business doesn't go well, I can always go into ballet. I can see it now: Rioko Junshinto; the world famous ballerina. It would be a sight to see"

"More like a nightmare if you ask me"

The young noble turned when she heard Ciel's voice. The young Earl stood near the doorway with his trusted butler at his side.

"It's been a while, Lady Rioko" Ciel said.

Rioko looked flustered and angered at the same time.

"What in the world are you doing here?" she said.

Ciel simply took his coat off and handed it to Sebastian.

"You haven't barged into my home for nearly a week and I was starting to wonder if you were sick or dead" he said.

"I'm surprised you haven't even sent me a nasty letter demanding the rest of the fee I owe you for your tea"

Rioko huffed and crossed her arms.

"I have a lot of work backed up thanks to me tagging along with you and your stupid little holiday" she said.

"I'm trying to catch up"

Ciel wore an amused look.

"Oh I can tell. Although, I dare say that pastel isn't your color"

Rioko's face went red with agitation.

"I'm practicing my ballet, you buffoon!" she snapped.

"I have other things that I need to catch up other than paperwork!"

Sayuri rest her hand on her shoulder.

"Now, now, My Lady" she said.

"There's no need to cause a scene. I'm sure Lord Phantomhive is just surprised that you do ballet"

Rioko grumbled and looked away.

"_Stupid Phantomhive"_

Sayuri looked at their guests.

"And to what do we have the honor of your surprised visit?" she asked.

Sebastian smirked and bowed.

"The Young Master wishes to speak to Lady Rioko over something utmost important" he said.

Rioko raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really? The Queen has you cleaning up her messes again?"

Ciel pulled out the letter he was given with a solemn look on his face.

"Something to that nature" he said.

Rioko sighed.

"Let me change before I listen to anything" she said.

Aki came into the room, hoping to tease Rioko about her dancing when she saw Sebastian and Ciel.

"Aw shit, now I have to go drink again"

/

"So what is the Queen making you do now?" Rioko asked.

"I thought after the events dealing with Jack the Ripper, she would give you a break"

Ciel flinched at the mention of their last mission but kept his mask on.

"As the Queen's dog, I never rest" he said.

"Surely you understand that?"

Rioko fiddled with her family ring.

"I may be the Queen's messenger bird, but I don't always do her biddings. I have my own problems to deal with after all"

Ciel rolled his eyes. How he was saddled with this annoying girl was beyond him.

Sayuri carried in a tray of tea for the two of them.

"I prepared a small blend of Jasmine tea along with raspberry scones" she said.

As she was approaching the table, her arm started to flare up. Her injuries from her fight with Grell were still sore and wasn't completely healed.

The flare of pain caused her arm to act up and nearly made her drop the entire tray. There would have been a huge mess to clean up had it not been for Sebastian to catch it in time. The demon held the tray in one hand professionally.

"Sayuri, are you ok?" Rioko asked worriedly.

Sayuri smiled nervously as she rubbed her arm.

"Nothing to worry about, My Lady" she said.

"Just be glad you didn't get a lap full of hot tea"

Sebastian placed the tray on the table and looked at her.

"Not fully healed yet, I see" he said.

Sayuri blushed and smiled weakly.

"Espers don't heal nearly as fast as demons do" she said.

"The wound has closed up, but it's still a little sore"

Sebastian didn't say anything but kept that knowledge with him.

"Alright, so what do you want from me now?" Rioko asked.

"This better not be another mass murder, otherwise I'll double the amount that you owe me"

Ciel pulled out the letter and gave it to her.

"It's nothing of the sort" he said.

"It's simple but complicated at the same time"

Rioko took the letter and read it over.

"So you need to investigate a little village? How is that bothering the Queen?"

"It bothers her Majesty because of what's going on in that town…particularly to certain animals"

Rioko raised an eyebrow.

"Animals?" she repeated.

Ciel nodded and let a creepy smirk spread across his lips.

"Tell me, are you allergic to dogs?"

/

**A/N: Uh oh, we're heading into the next arch and that means we meet a certain hound. How will Sayuri and everyone react when they find out they have to deal with dogs? I know Sebastian won't be so happy about it. **

**I found it funny that Ciel went to go bug Rioko instead of the other way around. Looks like he's starting to miss her presence.**

**I know this wasn't a lot but I'll try to get the next chapter up soon.**

**Please review and tell me what you think!**

**Ja ne!**


End file.
